This is a big season for Leeds United.
Having witnessed a previous ownership group squander what represented a golden opportunity to consolidate Premier League status, 49ers Enterprises are not about to do the same.
Insiders insist the consortium has big plans for Leeds. The ambition, within three years, is to position the club in the tier below Newcastle and Aston Villa in the Premier League, spending consistently across summer transfer windows while excelling in data recruitment and becoming one of the most productive academies in the north.
Running parallel to that is the planned expansion of Elland Road to a modern, 53,000-seater stadium with enhanced corporate facilities, which is seen as pivotal to the 49ers legacy.
It sounds like an impressive blueprint but a significant proportion of Leeds fans remain sceptical. It is not that the 49ers don’t have the money or vision, more that this bold talk is yet to materialise into something tangible on the field.
— Leeds United (@LUFC) September 21, 2025
DCL RISES! pic.twitter.com/VIHqQ0C4pc
And you can see their point. This version of Leeds is a million miles away from the swashbuckling, ferocious version that Marcelo Bielsa unleashed on the Premier League back in 2020. They were a force of nature, offering an unapologetically attacking vision that ended with them finishing ninth in their first season, winning more points and scoring more goals than any promoted team for two decades.
No one expects the same from this team. They have recruited heavily in the summer according to an analytical model that prioritises areas where they can get an edge on Premier League rivals. They have tapped into the trend for prioritising free-kicks and corners by bringing in tall players who are physically imposing in the air.
Sean Longstaff was identified because of the ground he covers off the ball, with Leeds putting a premium on being solid in games where they may have to retain their shape without possession for long periods.
There is certainly logic behind the approach. The i Paper understands that Leeds’ data department dug deep into the issues that have hampered promoted teams over the last five seasons, and the belief was that adapting to the physical demands of the Premier League is almost as daunting as the technical gap sides have to breach.
Leeds, the theory went, already had plenty of decent technicians. There are high hopes for Ao Tanaka, who was a late substitute at Wolves on Saturday, and Ethan Ampadu but the team needed more Premier League savvy and sweat.
It may not be as much fun as Bielsa – at first, anyway – but it is the first stage in a plan to become a fixture in a division they have spent just three of the previous 21 campaigns in.
Without Premier League status, Leeds will be unable to unlock that 49ers investment. The irony is that the caution feels like a fairly high-stakes game. If they stay up – and invest again next summer – it will all have been worth it.
But if they struggle again, those big, bold plans will be a very difficult sell to Leeds fans who notoriously don’t suffer fools gladly.
On Saturday, Leeds looked like a team more than capable of making a mark. Having done the basics really well at Fulham the previous weekend, they added an attacking threat at Wolves to win a game that could set the tone for the rest of the season.
You suspect that Dominic Calvert-Lewin, a striker with enough ability to tempt Manchester United, Newcastle and even AC Milan into having some serious discussions about recruiting him this summer, will be central to Leeds’ hopes this season.
Having made a slow start to life at Elland Road, Calvert-Lewin was re-energised at Wolves as he delivered the sort of throwback No 9 display that hints at a career renaissance.
He pinched fouls, held the ball up and also scored a fine headed goal. There is a reason why he was in the England squad not that long ago.
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Sometimes it is easy to forget that Calvert-Lewin is only 28 – an age when plenty of strikers are starting to reach their peak levels.
The feeling within his camp was always that he just needed an arm around his shoulder and a team willing to play a way that suits his style.
In manager Daniel Farke and a Leeds team willing to take the handbrake off when appropriate, it might just have found that.
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