Pre-season is completed and the countdown to the 2025-26 season is on.
It's been a busy summer at Elland Road with six arrivals to bolster Daniel Farke's squad for the Premier League return.
Leeds start the season at home to Everton on Monday - but are they ready?
Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesThe river dance-off between two performers clad in the respective club shirts of Leeds United and AC Milan as pre-match entertainment at the Aviva Stadium went the way of the Whites.
Well, if the reaction of a full house dominated by Leeds fans was anything to go by.
So too should have the result of United's final pre-season fixture, which ended in a 1-1 draw with the Serie A side.
Manager Daniel Farke certainly thought so:
"Against one of Europe's giants, the feeling was we should have won this game because there were so many periods where we dominated," he said
The game's outstanding player, Anton Stach, ensured a third pre-season draw against decent opponents, with the Premier League return against Everton at home looming a week on Monday.
The impressive midfielder capped off his imperious display with a crisp shot into the far corner from the left edge of the penalty area.
It prompted the immediate substitution of Milan keeper Petro Terraciano but, to be honest Stach had led everybody on the park a merry dance. Linking play, stopping play, firing shots away - he had it all.
"You can see why he was one of my key wishes in terms of signings," added Farke. "He gave an outstanding performance. We've spoken a lot about his size and his physicality but he's a really good footballer who is tidy on the ball."
Farke blooded new keeper Lucas Perri for the first half and the Brazilian had one strong take followed by a trademark long throw to start an attack.
As he acclimatises to his new team-mates he will become steadier with his feet but he is an imposing figure. Karl Darlow, who finished last season as the club's number one, also featured but Illan Meslier's days look numbered with Farke saying: "It was not necessary for him to travel."
Jayden Bogle (hip) is expected to recover from injury in time to face Everton, which will provide a much needed boost to the right side of the defence, but Leeds' main issue remains in the final third.
"In comparison to our Championship squad, we have not improved the offence," Farke said. "To have a squad capable to survive in the top flight, we need to strengthen. In offence, we need some top class signings, not just numbers."
However, the Leeds boss gave little away to suggest the club was close to bringing in a new number nine.
"We'll give our best in the next days before Everton," he added.
It seems the pirouettes, twirls and spins of the transfer jig could go to the wire.
Listen to West Yorkshire Sport Daily, weeknights at 18:00, and subscribe to BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast on BBC Sounds
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on Mateo Joseph's loan move to Mallorca.
Here are some of your comments:
Charlie: Good move for him. He'll get good quality football, most likely be a regular starter, and I think it will play a crucial part in his development. He has a lot of potential and has shown glimpses of promise playing for Leeds. Looking forward to seeing how he gets on in Spain.
Steve: If you're not willing to stay and fight for the shirt, you're not fit to be at Leeds, which is a shame as I was one of many hoping last season he would claim a spot in the team.
Dave: Joseph has fantastic potential. Absolutely the right thing to get him out on loan. Give him a season in a highly competitive league and lets see where he's at in 12 months.
Andy: He tried hard but just wasn't able to perform in the right moments for Leeds last season. I think this is the best all-round solution. Hopefully, he'll have a brilliant season and his stock will go up.
Tony: It leaves us light but a player who does not want to be at the club needs to go.
Ian: Although we have made a number of good signings (mostly midfielders), we are light up front - we desperately need a recognised striker.
Image source, Getty ImagesLeeds concluded their pre-season preparations with a 1-1 draw against AC Milan at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Santiago Gimenez opened the scoring for the Serie A side in the first half, before Anton Stach scored his first goal for the club in the 67th minute.
Goalkeeper Lucas Perri made his debut for the Whites while Jack Harrison's introduction in the second half was met with boos from some home fans.
The result ensured Daniel Farke's men have drawn all three of their summer friendlies.
Up next is the first Premier League game of the season against Everton at Elland Road.
Image source, Getty ImagesLeeds have confirmed striker Mateo Joseph has joined La Liga side Mallorca on a season-long loan.
The 21-year-old forward has made 73 first team appearances for the Whites since joining from Espanyol in January 2022, scoring six goals.
He signed a a new long-term contract with the club in January 2024 that runs until 2028 but stated his desire to leave Elland Road earlier this summer, according to manager Daniel Farke.
What do you make of how this situation has been handled?
And does Joseph's exit leave Leeds light upfront?
You have been sharing your stories and photos about why you love Leeds United.
Here is a final selection of your submissions, but do make sure you scroll down this page to see all the best responses from throughout the week:
Sam: I woke up one FA Cup final day (1970) to blue and white scarves hanging from windows everywhere.
"Chelsea," my dad said. "They're playing Leeds United."
I replied, "I'll support them instead." I have followed Leeds religiously since - TV, radio, newspapers - and saw them live whenever they played in London.
My first trip to Elland Road was in 1976, for an FA Cup match against Crystal Palace. After the game, Leeds fans confronted me over my southern accent, until I named the squad. They bought me fish and chips and escorted me back to the station.
Neil: My dad Michael Addy, was on the ground staff at Elland Road in the early Sixties. He is 82 now and one of Revie's Boys. I was born in Leeds in 1967 and have only ever been a Leeds supporter. My son Samuel was born in 1997 and is a Leeds fan thanks to his grandad. He took his daughter Daisy to Elland Road for her first game last Saturday. The photo is of her pointing at 'Grandad Mick's' name on the professionals board. A new supporter - it's in the blood.
Abdullah: Growing up as a boy in the Midlands in the days we could write to football clubs for signed autographs, posters of the team and other merchandise it was a great thing. Wrote to Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool - no response. Wrote to Alex Ferguson at Man Utd - no response. Wrote to Howard Wilkinson, and a couple of days later through the post received merchandise and signed posters from the whole team and a personalised autograph from Howard Wilkinson. That's the time I knew this was the team for me. Marching on Together.
Vince: I'm 68 now and first saw the great Leeds side when I was 10. What a team, I was hooked.
My aunty gave me a fully autographed listing of the 1956-57 team, I remember most of the players. Look out for a very young John Charlton and the very great John Charles.
Hope it brings back some happy memories to you oldies and young alike.
This week, we are asking you to share your stories and photos for why you fell in love with Leeds United
Here is a selection of your submissions:
Guy: On my tenth birthday in 1970 my parents told me were going on a surprise trip from Retford where we lived - the destination turned out to be Elland Road! We were able to watch the team training and I had my picture taken with Big Jack. Sadly he wasn't looking at the camera because he was distracted by my mum who was flirting with Gary Sprake!
Peter: My parents had gone to a dinner/dance, leaving me home alone in the hotel. I never liked football but while watching Match of the Day for the first time, I saw seeing Terry Connor score on his debut against West Bromwich Albion. I asked my dad to take me to the next match, which he did.
As well as becoming season ticket holders together from then on, my love of playing football continues to this day.
Image source, Getty ImagesTim: My grandad was a Leeds season ticket holder and one of the 100 club that helped save the club in the 1960s.
He was born in the shadow of Elland Road in Beeston, as was my dad. Growing up in the 1970s, my brothers and I supported the great Leeds team of the era and have followed them ever since.
I'm happy to say the next generation has taken up the torch even though we have all moved away from Leeds and are now spread around the country.
Send us your pictures and stories here
Jonathan Buchan
BBC Radio Leeds Sports Editor
Image source, Getty ImagesThe away following for Leeds United is peerless. No matter the division. From Liverpool to Luton, via Chelsea and Charlton. Wherever Leeds go they take more.
Which has weirdly become a problem.
The clamour for away tickets has become routine over the past decade with the majority of supporters expected to join a first-come first-served online queue. This led to multiple tabs open on multiple computers, in the middle of a work day.
No more.
The club launched a new 'ballot' system for the upcoming Premier League campaign. In their statement they say they did this on the back of conversations with supporter groups including their 'Supporters Advisory Board'.
The aim, according to that statement, is to 'continue to reward loyalty' while being able to 'provide a fairer and more inclusive application process'. A 'tracker system' has been put in place to provide a 50% chance of a ticket for those who attended a 'high' number of away games last season.
Some feel the multiple tabs option was a fair way to reward those willing to put in the time. Others feel it became a 'closed shop' rewarding those who knew how to play the system.
It is understandable that many who did the majority of the miles last term feel this new way of distribution disregards that. It is also understandable that those able to attend only a few games, now feel like they can go to the party.
The results of the first ballot for a trip to Arsenal has seen some fans overjoyed with getting tickets, and some feeling disgruntled at missing the opening trip back in the top flight.
What is guaranteed is that the trains and service stations will still be full of Leeds fans on matchdays, only now with some new faces along for the ride.
Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Danielle Sarver CoombsWhen it comes to our love for a football club, the answer to why we do lies in "both psychological and societal" reasons.
In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, researcher and co-writer of the Routledge Handbook of Sport Fans and Fandom Danielle Sarver Coombs spoke about the part that identity and tradition play.
And yet when we are caught up in the emotions of a tough defeat or nerves of an important match, we can often ask why we put ourselves through it.
"There are psychological processes at work and physiological ones in terms of how we respond and engage," Sarver Coombs said.
"An example that I always give is when I take the train to work, I go past Arsenal's stadium and I feel literally nothing other than: 'Oh, that's a big building'. Whereas on a train to Manchester, I went by Villa Park and my heart started pounding. I got all excited and was trying to take pictures out the window.
"I had a visceral reaction to this place. We can't pretend we don't have that sort of physical reaction because we do.
"When someone is talking about a controversial decision and I feel myself getting wound up, even though I intellectually know that I can't control it and that it's just a game, my body doesn't know that.
"My gut doesn't know that and so I have this really emotional response and we can't control that."
A 2023 book titled 'Football on the brain: why minds love sport, external' suggests it comes down to 'an understandable and logical consequence of the human mind's natural inclination to find meaning through beliefs... It's a religion as far as the brain is concerned'.
But it not just about what is going on inside the mind but outside influences too.
"There is a sociological element to it because the community part is such a huge driver and benefit for us," Sarver Coombs explains.
"Sociologically, we are driven to be part of communities. We are driven to find our groups that we can be members of. Sport provides a way to do that - this sense that I was chosen to be part of this community and it's something bigger than I am."
As the game expands, unrest among supporters seems to be increasing, but how does that impact this ingrained love for a club?
"You always go through these cycles when the game is changing," Sarver Coombs said.
"Despite all the changes, the traditions remain so strong and it's such a huge draw that it becomes really hard to actually separate yourself from it. Even if you do, it tends to be a short-term separation. You get sucked back in because something happens.
"People don't want that change, but then we adapt to it and continue moving forward."
Browse this page to see lots of fan stories for how you fell in love with your club.
And check out those from other Premier League teams over here
Image source, Leeds United FCLeeds have unveiled their third kit for the upcoming season.
The club say the shirt is inspired by the "cherished Elland Road ritual" of swirling scarves on a matchday.
They describe the blue and yellow abstract patterns as an "iconic tribute" to thousands of scarves swirling in unison.
Are you a fan?
Choose below.
This week, we are asking you to share your stories and photos for why you fell in love with Leeds United.
Here is a selection of your submissions:
Brett: Our family originated in Leeds and has been in Australia for 140 years. We were a successful football-playing family with four members playing for Australia, but Leeds winning the 1972 FA Cup on our black-and-white TV was my biggest early memory.
The goalscorer in 1972, Allan Clarke, made a guest appearance at Townsville in 1981 giving the 18 year old winger I was back then some great confidence-building advice.
We've been to Elland Road four times and watched Leeds play in Sydney on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane. Through the ups and downs we go and continue Marching on Together.
Sarah: I was at primary school with Billy Bremner's daughter in Crossgates. Billy used to take us horse riding on a Sunday morning and I often went to his house after. Always remember him as a lovely man and a lovely family. Loved Leeds United ever since , even though I find supporting them quite stressful!
Eric: Three work-mates down Wembley way.
Send us your pictures and stories here
Jonathan Buchan
BBC Radio Leeds sports editor
1995 was my first trip to Elland Road.
My grandad Denis had been a season ticket holder for many years but ill health meant he could no longer go to games. As a result I then forced my dad, who is not a football fan, to take me and my mate on the half-mile or so walk down from our home in Wortley to the stadium.
Personally, I owe a lot to that trip - a lifelong passion, friendships lasting decades... oh, and my entire career.
After a couple of campaigns of match-by-match attendance, the holy grail of a season ticket was finally affordable. Away games, on the other hand, were a distant dream and would not become a reality for years.
Listening to the away games on BBC Radio Leeds ultimately resulted in me ending up in the role I find myself in today.
The craft of commentators such as Ian Dennis (now of BBC Radio 5 Live) bringing the action into my house from hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away bred a love for radio that still exists to this day.
It is a huge privilege to be part of the team doing that for supporters today. Not one I ever take for granted. Not only covering the games for those fans who cannot be there, but holding the club to account is something we all take pride in.
Jonathan with daughter Cleo at Elland Road
So, 30 years on from that first trip - a trip I have now made with my daughter and will do with my son - the journey to Elland Road is still my favourite to make. It is a journey that links generations. Telling my five-year-old about her great-grandad while walking through the Lowfields tunnel was an emotional one.
Dad still is not a 'football fan', and has not stepped foot inside Elland Road since those early days, but he knows about all the ups and downs of Leeds United's fortunes - more so than he would like to admit!
Join the conversation and tell your story about why you love Leeds
Listen to West Yorkshire Sport Daily, weeknights at 18:00, and subscribe to BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast on BBC Sounds
Opta's Supercomputer has once again predicted the upcoming 2025-26 Premier League season by using a model to simulate every match 10,000 times.
Image source, OptaAfter only happening once in Premier League history beforehand, and not since 1997-98, all three promoted teams have gone straight back down in each of the past two seasons.
Unsurprisingly then, Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland are ranked as the likeliest trio to be relegated by the Supercomputer's model next year - with the Black Cats the only team notto win the title in any of the supercomputer's 10,000 simulations.
Championship play-off winners Sunderland are also relegated the most often of all 20 teams, going down in 66.4% of simulations.
Their fellow Premier League newboys are actually deemed to survive slightly more often than not, with Daniel Farke's side going down in 48.1% of sims, while Scott Parker's Clarets doing so in 45.9%.
As for Wolves, they had a dismal start to last season but improved significantly once Vitor Pereira arrived. Losing Matheus Cunha is a big blow however, and the Old Gold are fourth favourites to go down according to the supercomputer - doing so in 26.4% of sims.
Similarly, Graham Potter's West Ham have sold a key player this summer after Mohammed Kudus switched to Tottenham.
Potter will back himself to get a better tune out of his side after his first pre-season with them, but West Ham are still relegated in 22% of simulations.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your thoughts on what Leeds' midfield should look like next season.
Here's what you said:
Richard: Tanaka was one our best players last season. He should definitely have a place. Longstaff is also a must. The other two should be subs initially, but changing after 60 mins plus, depending on the game. But all the players are good to mix and match in midfield positions! I think Tanaka, Bogle and Willy Gnonto played a fantastic three against Manchester United.
Jay: Stach, Tanaka, Ampadu. Simple solution.
John: I was at the game and I thought Aaronson played really well against Villarreal. I know he has his doubters but he gives it his all every game and I think over last season he's really improved. For me, he is a known factor and worth a starting berth.
Mark: With the focus on midfield and defence in the recruitment so far, determining the midfield starters is challenging. The friendlies have not really cleared that up. Ampadu has looked really solid. Tanaka and Aaronson have both taken their opportunities and looked good. The jury is still out for me in terms of the new boys, and how they can be blended into a starting formation. The Everton game will be revealing.
We know the relationship between a football fan and their club is a special one so, as we gear up for the new season, we asked you to share why you fell in love with Leeds United and some of your favourite moments supporting them.
Here are some of your submissions:
Brian: Dad first took me to Elland Road in 1962. I saw the return of the great John Charles and a 50-year-old Stan Matthews. I was hooked for the next 42 years. I saw every final and went to many European away games.
One Friday, Dad came home with a wooden box with the FA Cup in. It stayed at home all weekend and we took it to the pub for photos with Gary Sprake. Dad took it back on Monday morning! Can you imagine that happening now?
Sandra: I started supporting Leeds as a child in the 1970s. My dad supported Leeds and even though we lived in Lincolnshire, which is miles away, it was the only team I ever considered supporting.
My first match was a friendly at Belle Vue against Doncaster Rovers. My dad didn't drive so we were never going to make it to Leeds. After starting comprehensive school, a friend and her dad invited me to Elland Road. What a thrill! I can't remember who we played or even if we won, but it was amazing.
My favourite players were Allan Clarke, Peter Lorimer, Billy Bremner, the Gray brothers, Paul Reaney, Gordon McQueen, Tony Currie... the whole team! I would follow the team in Match Magazine.
After sixth form, I started my nurse training in Scarborough, but why didn't I go to Leeds? Shift work and no TV made it harder to follow them and I lapsed for a while, but the passion remained and, following the long road back to the Premier League, I was able to watch them again on Match of the Day.
I still haven't returned to Elland Road, but it is on my bucket list. If anyone wants to take a young lady, I'd love to go! A vintage 70s scarf and last season's third strip awaits the opportunity.
Howard: I was first taken to Elland Road as a nine-year-old in February 1974. Leeds beat Arsenal 3-1 with two goals from Joe Jordan, I think. I was hooked and I knew I would always be Leeds from that day forward. I've seen us lose a League Cup final and two play-off finals, but I have also been there to see a first division league title, a Championship title and of course the Covid title under Marcelo "The God" Bielsa. Forever Leeds. I now go to games with my daughter Josie.
Send your pictures and stories here
Image source, Getty ImagesKaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix spoke to the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast about Leeds' midfield: "If we play 4-3-3, it will be interesting to see who will play in that midfield. Ampadu looked good [against Villarreal] and usually plays every minute and I think Farke will want that back six to become quite fixed.
"Those other two places [are up for grabs] - Longstaff wants to play, have Stach and Tanaka got to play? Gruev has played loads this pre-season and it's looking like he is not getting sold. It will be really interesting to see who starts against Everton.
"I think something like Longstaff, Stach and Ampadu will play in the difficult games, and something like Ampadu, Stach and Tanaka or maybe even Aaaronson will play in the games that we think we might win."
What do you think the midfield will look like? Tell us
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images'Why did you fall in love with your club?'
This week, we have asked hundreds of football fans across the world that very question and got hundreds of different answers.
Yes, the themes might be similar - born near a ground; family supported the team; watched a certain player - but the individual story will be unique to each supporter.
The relationship between a fan and their club should not be underestimated, with people ploughing uncountable amounts of money, time and emotional energy into their support for their team.
But what is that makes us love our clubs the way we do?
"A lot of it comes down to our identity," researcher and co-writer of the Routledge Handbook of Sport Fans and Fandom Danielle Sarver Coombs told BBC Sport.
"We become part of this group that means so much to us. It becomes a way to find a community that you're a part of and to find a group of people that, no matter where you are, you could find a pub with other fans of your team. You have that kinship.
"In a world that's increasingly quite lonely, this provides one of the ways that we can have connections so we can have the feeling that we're part of something bigger."
Connection and identity plays a big role in someone's love for their club - particularly when it is a family link.
Many fans talk of being born into who they support - that the connection is so strong there was no other team they could, or would, have chosen.
"The great thing with football is that there's such a strong heritage component to it," Sarver Coombs said. "Often, your grandfather, father, mother or whomever was a fan of the team, so it's part of your family's tradition.
"It's handed down from generation to generation."
The uniqueness of football fandom is something researchers are increasingly investigating.
An article, external published earlier this year in psychology journal Frontiers discusses how football fans often follow follow teams with 'significant attachment and commitment, sometimes to the bewilderment of those outside of the game'.
"With football clubs, you have decades of tradition that you can tap into and it's going to keep coming," Sarver Coombs added.
"Players come and go, managers come and go, shirts change, badges change, but the club itself - the heart and soul of it remains constant. You always have that piece that you're tied to, so the longevity of clubs is a really important part.
"But also, that constant in-person opportunity to be present in a community space really sets football apart from other passions that may be transient or do not have that constant engagement."
Daniel Farke has been outgoing in stating Leeds lack some quality in attack as they prepare for the Premier League.
BBC Radio Leeds' Jonny Buchan and Simon Rix of the Kaiser Chiefs pondered Farke's comments on the latest episode of Don't Go To Bed Just Yet.
Was he trying to "make a point"? Or was he genuinely concerned?
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
