Leeds United sit at the summit of the Championship table after 31 games. If last season is an indicator, they are well on their way to earning automatic promotion to the Premier League. The Whites are still to play 15 league games this season and they are yet to seal promotion but talk is quickly diverting towards what the club would need to do in the summer to ensure that their return to the top flight is not short. The Yorkshire giants will have to raise the floor of the squad and Daniel Farke will need some genuine quality to survive in the top flight if they get up next season. Opinions are already flying in the players Leeds should or should not try to sign and Carlton Palmer has weighed in with some opinion on a particular midfielder.
Farke cannot afford to let his players think too far into the future and despite being in a good position to get promoted, the Leeds manager is aware that things could go horribly wrong very quickly.
However, there is now a genuine consensus that Leeds are more or less likely to get promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season and that has led to some speculation over the club’s transfer business.
Poor recruitment was one of the big reasons why Leeds got relegated from the Premier League in 2023 and the Whites would be keen to avoid making more expensive mistakes once they get up.
There are suggestions that Leeds must be more careful about who they sign and there are already doubts over whether the club should try to sign Joe Rothwell on a permanent deal if they get promoted.
Carlton Palmer insists Rothwell is not worth it for Leeds United
Leeds signed the 30-year-old midfielder on loan from Bournemouth last summer, and he has been a brilliant signing for the Whites this season.
He has played a pivotal role in Leeds sitting at the top of the Championship table at this stage of the season and will continue to remain a key player for the club.
There is speculation that Leeds should sign him on a permanent deal if they get promoted but Palmer insisted that the club should avoid such a scenario.
Bournemouth are expected to demand a fee of around £7.5m for Rothwell, and Palmer stressed that a midfielder who has failed in the Premier League is not worth that much money.
“Joe Rothwell has been a mainstay for Leeds United, playing in 23 Championship games, and it is expected that the 30-year-old will cost around £7.5 million and £30,000 in wages”, he told the Football League World
“If Leeds United are promoted, is he worth signing for that amount of money? No, not in my opinion.
“If you look at his record, that is why he has been loaned out. Previously, he was on loan at Southampton and, this season, at Leeds United. He has very little Premier League experience. He played 20 games in 2022–23 and 11 in 2023–24 for Bournemouth.”
The former Leeds star stressed that Rothwell would have played a big role if Leeds get promoted to the Premier League but feels he has already proven that he is not good enough to play in the top flight.
He insisted that Leeds will need far better-quality players than him to stay in the Premier League.
“I think they need a bit better quality. He is a proven Championship player at Blackburn Rovers, and he consistently played over 30 games in the Championship a season. He’s a very good Championship player but just a bit short of quality in the Premier League.
“Leeds United have got to get back to the Premier League, and Joe Rothwell is assisting them in doing that. That is a good bit of business to help them go up. I don’t know if they had an obligation to buy in the deal, but for me, £7.5 million and £30,000 in wages for a player who has struggled in the Premier League doesn’t work.
“But Leeds need to get back at the second attempt, and Joe Rothwell has been instrumental in that.”
…..And Palmer is right about Rothwell
Leeds’ recruitment deserve immense credit for ensuring that the Whites competed for promotion again this season after narrowly losing the playoff final last season.
Rothwell has turned out to be a great signing for the Whites and he has added much-needed quality, experience and nous to the Leeds midfield this season.
However, there is a reason Bournemouth were happy to loan him out to Leeds last summer as he was not considered to be good enough for the top flight.
Rothwell has played a big role for Leeds this season and held the midfielder together with Ao Tanaka was Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev got injured in the early part of the season.
However, Farke and Leeds must detach emotion and be ruthless when it comes to recruitment last summer and there is very little evidence to suggest that the club should invest money to retain Rothwell next summer.
