Leeds United will have several big decisions to make in the summer regardless of whether they get promoted to the Premier League. The question of whether to offer a new deal to Junior Firpo will linger on and Leeds will also have to find a way to move on Patrick Bamford who has struggled with injuries and is yet to score this season. There are also doubts over the future of several players and whether they would be good enough to be in the Premier League. The club will also have to make a call on several loan stars and it seems a decision is likely to be finalised for at least one of them in the coming months.
The Yorkshire giants sit at the top of the Championship table and are looking good to earn automatic promotion to the Premier League at the end of the season.
If last season is an indicator, Leeds United are on course to earn promotion to the top flight after consolidating and increasing their lead at the top of the Championship standings.
Recruitment will be massive if Leeds return to the top flight as it was some poor signings that resulted in relegation in 2023 and the Whites would be keen to avoid making those same expensive mistakes.
However, Leeds also need to make space in their squad and offload players who do not have a future at Elland Road and it seems a decision on one of those players could be made soon.
Leeds United loanee has impressed and is set for the exit door
Sam Greenwood was not part of Daniel Farke’s plans last season and Leeds were happy to loan him out to fellow Championship club Preston North End.
The attacker took his time to settle but has been a key player for Preston, scoring seven times in 31 appearances in all competitions for the second-tier side.
Preston have an option to make the move permanent in the summer and the club would likely want to keep him due to his strong performances this season.
The forward is unlikely to have a future at Leeds regardless of which division they are in next season and an exit is almost inevitable.
Greenwood stressed that he is choosing to focus on the present at the moment but admitted that he will definitely consider returning to Preston in the summer.
“Obviously, I always focus on the present and focus on each game as it comes”, Greenwood was quoted as saying by the Lancashire Post.
“Each season goes so quickly. I’m going to see what happens at the end of the season and I’ll obviously take into big consideration Preston.
“It’s a big decision. I’m in the present at the minute and I’ll come to that at the end of the season. It’s just one of them. I don’t really think about that at the minute. I just want to focus on my football, play, score as many as I can and just make things happen for this team.”
Leaving Leeds would be the best scenario for the forward
The 22-year-old attacker will have a year left on his contract but he has not played a game for the Whites since August 2023 when he was loaned out to Middlesbrough.
He has not been part of Farke’s plans for a while and it doesn’t seem that will change in the summer if he returns from his loan stint at Deepdale.
Leeds are also unlikely to offer him a new contract and next summer will be their last chance to command a significant transfer fee from his sale.
Greenwood needs a fresh start somewhere else and cutting the cord with Leeds through a permanent deal will be the best course of action for his career.
Leeds will hope that Preston will exercise the option to buy in the summer and the attacker will be happy to sign a long-term contract with the Championship side.
