The summer transfer business is well underway for Leeds United, as in the same breath as saying goodbye to rising star Archie Gray, the club has also confirmed the return of Joe Rodon on a permanent deal.
As Leeds United bid to climb back into the Premier League next year after falling short at the final hurdle this past season, it's no secret that the club needs investment.
That being said, bidding farewell to one of their breakout stars is not how most fans would have liked the new campaign to kick off but they have at least fully secured the services of last season's popular loan player, Joe Rodon.
Announcing the de facto swap deal plus cash on Tuesday, 2 July, the 26-year-old Welshman has now signed a four-year deal to remain at the heart of Leeds' defence.
However, as one comes in another must go, as the Whites unfortunately had to let 18-year-old Archie Gray go, who had emerged as one of the club's brightest youth prospects for a number of years last season.
Confessing that they greenlit the departure "with a heavy heart", the club said that it was nigh on impossible to avoid interest from top-flight clubs and despite a bid from Brentford being rejected, an offer from Tottenham Hotspur "met a release clause that was triggered by the club’s failure to get promoted at the first attempt".
They went on to add: "Whilst we understand that supporters will be hugely disappointed to lose such a homegrown talent, and a family name so synonymous with Leeds United, the move improves the club’s chance to compete for automatic promotion next season by increasing our ability to build a competitive squad within the league’s financial control regulations.
The deal for the promising youngster, who played over 50 games for the Yorkshire club in his debut season, is said to be valued between £25-£30m - a fee which will help them comply with FFP and PSR after remaining in the Championship.
?️ “I’m really excited, it’s a massive Club and it’s an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down.”
The significance of the outgoing is not lost on them, reiterating that "everyone at Leeds United is heartbroken to see one of our own depart and would like to thank Archie for all his efforts and professionalism."
Nevertheless, the fee is one which twinned with recent investment from Red Bull and multiple celebrities, could be massive for their overall title hopes as Daniel Farke looks to regenerate the side.
Gray, whose dad Andy and grandfather Frank, both played as Peacocks, joins Spurs on a statement six-year-deal. The England under-21 international will don the number 14.
What do you make of it then, Leeds fans? It was always going to be tough to hang on to such a great young player, but is keeping Rodon a good enough makeweight and who else should the club be going after?
Daniel Farke is urging fans to not get ahead of themselves following last night's massive win over Sunderland as Leeds gave their prospects of a Premier League return a massive leg up.
Returning to the top of the table after a last-gap 2-1 victory over the North East side, Leeds United now lead the league on 72 points as promotion back to the top flight is looking increasingly likely.
But we all know how football goes, especially in the Championship...
With that in mind, although Farke confessed it was "a great night for everyone connected to Leeds United", he was quick to remind his players, staff and supporters that there's still a lot of work to do.
"I never thought I would ever get a yellow card for celebrating"
Daniel Farke shares his thoughts on getting booked for celebrating Leeds' 95th minute equaliser ? pic.twitter.com/tfLxXjE6AK
Speaking after the full-time whistle and when everyone had just about caught their breath back, the 48-year-old said: "These types of wins are the best kind you can have in football for the supporters and the whole group."
Despite being booked for joining in the celebrations and seeming rather puzzled by the decision, the German head coach went on to describe the victory as "priceless points", and "a great night for everyone connected to Leeds United."
However, being fully aware of how fine the margins were and continue to be, he warned everyone to avoid getting carried away, adding: "We haven't won anything yet."
In case you weren't watching for whatever reason, it was a tense home outing against fellow playoff challengers, who took the lead through Wilson Isidor in the first half.
Nevertheless, a brilliant brace came from a somewhat unlikely yet increasingly less surprising source as Pascal Struijk notched his fourth and fifth goal of the season within just over a quarter of an hour - the fans just had to wait agonisingly until the very last quarter or so.
"This is the best Leeds side I've seen in the Championship, the substitutions changed the course of the game" ?
Andy Hinchcliffe praises Leeds and Daniel Farke after their late win over Sunderland ⚪ pic.twitter.com/9NgHcNcje0
Struijk's stoppage-time winner in the 95th minute understandably sent Elland Road into raptures which, as you can see, have been described as some of the best the league has seen in a while.
As Farke says, there's still a long way to go and Leeds won't want to rely on the bare minimum amount to qualify for the playoffs; with 42 points still up for grabs this campaign and teams on their tail, the next few months are going to be stressful.
You can hear Daniel Farke's post-match interview in full HERE and watch the rest of the highlights from a blockbuster finish and a fantastic start to the week for Whites down below:
Featured Images — Sky Sports/Leeds United (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
Northern Superchargers fixtures confirmed for The Hundred 2025
Danny Jones
The fixtures for The Hundred 2025 have officially been revealed and we now have confirmation as to when we can expect to see Northern Superchargersgetting underway.
One of the fastest-growing competitions not only in cricket but sport, in general, this is just the fifth year of The Hundred but it’s promising to be the biggest and most ambitious yet.
Moving back to its traditional summer slot – set to take place throughout the month of August – well over half a million fans are expected to enjoy the action up and down the country.
You can find the full list of Northern Superchargers fixtures for this year’s Hundred schedule here:
Getting their campaign underway with the first double-header against Welsh Fire on Thursday, 7 August at home in Headingley, it's going to be a brilliant day of cricket - hopefully with plenty of sun to boot.
The Superchargers' first away game comes against Nottingham's Trent Rockets on Sunday (10 August) before heading down South the following Wednesday (13 Aug).
2024 alone saw a global women’s cricket attendance record shattered and with the double-header fixtures set to return, more history beckons for the tournament.
If you’ve never been along to The Hundred before, game days feature plenty of pre-match pageantry and fanfare before the women’s teams get the toss first.
Although there’s music, food and drink to be enjoyed throughout the day, one of the best parts about a day at The Hundred is the entertainment, with other games, activities, competitions and live performances before, during and after the break.
"You get fantastic crowds to play in front of at the biggest venues, with great support. I have absolutely loved being a part of the Superchargers", he continued.
"Captaining last year was a great experience, as was working alongside Freddie [Andrew Flintoff]. We have a great group of players that we will hopefully manage to retain for this year’s competition.
"We'll be looking to build on the momentum we have started to gather as a squad over the last few seasons."
You can get ready grab your tickets on pre-sale and found when general admission goes live HERE.
Danny Jones -
2nd July 2024 
