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After two years in the Championship, Leeds United have secured promotion back to the Premier League. Their return to the top flight was guaranteed with two games to spare, after Sheffield United's defeat to second-placed Burnley also confirmed Burnley's promotion.
Daniel Farke's men had crushed Stoke City 6-0 in their own game earlier on Monday to leave promotion a mere formality. They won the title with victories over Bristol City and Plymouth Argyle in their final two matches, barring a mathematical miracle goal difference swing from Burnley.
Leeds finished third with 90 points in 2023-24 before losing to Southampton in the play-off final. The summer saw highly-rated academy product Archie Gray sold to Tottenham, while Championship player of the season Crysencio Summerville left for West Ham. Those exits had seemed likely but the sale of talented forward Georginio Rutter to Brighton after the season had started was unexpected and unwelcome.
Still, the Whites boasted a strong squad for the level and the permanent additions of Spurs defender Joe Rodon after his loan last season, ex-Sheffield United full-back Jayden Bogle and Japan international midfielder Ao Tanaka, plus the loan signings of Joe Rothwell and Manor Solomon from Bournemouth and Tottenham respectively, all brought quality.
On the pitch the campaign started with no wins from their first three games in all competitions but they kickstarted things with a 2-0 victory at Sheffield Wednesday and scarcely looked back.
Despite a narrow home defeat by fellow promotion hopefuls Burnley on 14 September, to date their only loss at Elland Road this season, by the third international break of the season in November, Leeds had risen up to second.
A huge summer awaits as Leeds look to buck the worrying trend that appears set to see all of the past six teams promoted to the Premier League go straight back down.
