Leeds United are one step away from confirming Premier League survival, with West Ham facing Arsenal next needing a win to keep the Whites in the battle.
Leeds supporters know better than to get too hasty about achieving anything until it’s mathematically certain. However, there was a feeling of ‘mission accomplished’ in how we beat Burnley on Friday.
That, followed by West Ham being thumped 3-0 by Brentford means that the Irons cannot afford to drop a single point if they realistically want to catch Leeds. Up next? Arsenal.
Leeds United hopefully already planning for next season as survival looks 99.9% certain
Mathematically speaking, there’s still a world where Leeds could end the season in 18th and resigned to relegation back to the Championship.
But that would mean Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Spurs, and West Ham all leapfrogging Leeds in the final three weeks of the season. So, even if you don’t want to count your chickens just yet, it is safe to say Leeds won’t be getting relegated.
With that, the club might want to start accelerating talks for prospective targets this summer.
Included in that is supposedly Wolves’ Ladislav Krejci. The left-sided centre-back is subject to strong interest from Elland Road. He is almost certain to swerve Championship football this summer.
How much he costs remains to be seen. The 49ers, though, could steal a march with Premier League status virtually assured.
Leeds United could get £100million revenge on West Ham if the Irons are relegated
The ever-changing situation in the relegation zone now has swung in Spurs’ favour. They climbed out of the bottom three and it leaves West Ham staring down the barrel with three difficult games to play.
Rewind four years when Leeds were battling to stay in the Premier League in 21/22. Meanwhile, the Irons were chasing European football under David Moyes.
In January 2022, the Irons cheekily tried their luck to sign both Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha.
Their £50million apiece offers for both Phillips and Raphinha were obviously knocked back. They were also laughed at by the midfielder in the process. Leeds stayed up on the final day before both were prised by much bigger clubs than the Irons – Manchester City and Barcelona.
It felt incredibly insulting at the time that West Ham thought they could prise our two best players mid-season. But, now we’re back in the top flight and likely to stay up, and potentially at their expense, the boot could be on the other foot.
West Ham stars that Leeds United should be looking at if the Irons are relegated
The finances behind the curtain at the London Stadium might paint a pretty bleak picture that means sales are inevitable.
Who stays and who goes may depend on clauses present in contracts. Star midfielder Mateus Fernandes is destined for the top no matter the Irons’ league status. But, he has no relegation release clause that would cap their price tag this summer.
Elsewhere, wingers like Jarrod Bowen and even ex-Leeds star Crysencio Summerville won’t be too keen on the EFL next season.
Should West Ham be sent packing after our meeting on the final day, Leeds ought to be casting an eye over their squad. The same goes for the limited Premier League quality at Burnley, and some of the key players from Wolves’ struggles.
Read more: Leeds United’s £43million striker transfer gamble has paid off.
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