Leeds must put everything into summer recruitment
For the first time in decades Leeds United have owners with deep pockets and a competent board and management team who can match pragmatism with ambition.
And they will need all that nous to navigate this summer's transfer market.
No one can say who will make the step up to the Premier League within the squad. But there is a core group of players who I imagine would and that includes Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, Jayden Bogle, Ao Tanaka and Dan James.
I would imagine the club are working on a deal to bring Manor Solomon back, as well as considering the merits of a new contract for Junior Firpo. The two linked up on Leeds' left side to great success last season.
Chairman Paraag Marathe confirmed sales will have to be made to ensure the club's position against financial fair play rules. This means any sales would have to represent a profit on the balance sheet.
So it would not surprise me should Illan Meslier be sold. The Frenchman fell out of favour towards the end of the season and could attract a price tag that would surpass what Leeds paid for him.
One player fans might expect Leeds to sell is Brenden Aaronson. But I do not see him attracting an offer that would secure a profit, and despite his deficiencies in possession, he has excelled without the ball in disrupting opposition teams' passing play.
Leeds will be defending far more in the Premier League than in the Championship and will need to adjust their strategy to survive, and that includes recruitment and retention.
United are back where the club and city deserve to be but they must put everything they have into this summer's transfer window if they want to stay up.
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The perfect centre-back would be a mix of Maguire and Van Dijk. It's very difficult to play against both of them. Both have so much quality, both in the physicality and the pace.' As luck would have it, The Athletic shows Muniz a short clip of him battling with centre-backs just seconds later. The opponent? Maguire, throwing Muniz to the floor after a sharp pass played around the corner with his back to goal. 'He's always making contact, doesn't leave you in peace, it's constant. You have to be very focused.' Just eight Premier League starts in 2024-25 will be a source of frustration for Muniz, but he does not lack ambition or belief that he is able to perform regularly at the highest level. 'I have a dream to play in the Champions League and above all to be called up for the national team,' Muniz reveals. 'I know that for this to happen, I have to play and keep on doing the work I've done. What depends on me, I'm going to do, and other things that I have no control over — I just have to wait.' Carlo Ancelotti's arrival as the Brazil national team manager comes at a time when the Selecao are in desperate need of some refurbishment — a situation that Muniz could use to his advantage. Given his profile, does the Brazilian feel he has something different to offer his national team? 'I think it's going to depend on the coach. Some prefer this more controlled style, some like to attack the space. We have strikers who can hold the ball up really well — Pedro at Flamengo is a very good player. We also have Richarlison and Joao Pedro who can attack the space really well. 'I think I can do a bit of both and that I'm a different kind of No 9, but we'll see.'
