The timing was handy. Almost three weeks after the arrival of goalkeeper Lucas Perri, Leeds United confirmed their eighth signing of the summer on Friday.
Daniel Farke has been vocal throughout pre-season in insisting his squad is not yet ready for the Premier League, particularly in attack, but the arrival of Dominic Calvert-Lewin was a step in the right direction and helped to calm the nerves after weeks of tension.
But as Farke said: ‘Dominic can’t be the only step’. Leeds are still in the market for a left-winger, a striker and another full-back, at the bare minimum, before the transfer window ends.
‘I feel like a kid again,’ Calvert-Lewin insisted at his unveiling. ‘I just can’t wait to play.’ In many ways, that has been the feeling around their Thorp Arch HQ from the moment Leeds won promotion in April.
When Sky picked their clash against Everton for the Monday night slot, there was a small sense of frustration of having to wait that little bit longer – but kicking off the season under the Elland Road lights was seen as an advantage.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin became Leeds’ eighth addition this summer as they bid to retain their top-flight status
Daniel Farke has regularly voiced through pre-season that his squad isn’t ready for the Premier League yet
When the Premier League and others had a media day at Thorp Arch, they noted just how positive the players were, with Daily Mail Sport told the energy was like that of a summer camp. Everyone was upbeat and pumped for the season ahead.
Changes are in motion at Thorp Arch, too. The pitch Leeds train on is meant to be an exact replica of Elland Road in terms of the turf and Leeds have invested in building another identical pitch right next to it. After redevelopment in recent seasons including the introduction of new gyms and upgraded changing rooms, the canteen has now also been renovated.
For all the talk about promoted sides getting relegated, it’s worth noting that the last time Leeds went up, they finished ninth in 2020-21 under Marcelo Bielsa.
Bielsa’s team went to Liverpool on the opening weekend of that season and lost 4-3. The following weekend, Leeds beat Fulham 4-3. But judging by this pre-season, the desire is for more control in a 4-3-3 setup.
Farke has emphasised that Leeds won’t park the bus and will still look to be the ‘protagonists’ with their possession-based football, but they won’t be naive and play into the hands of teams with better quality.
The motivation behind signing tall players – with the majority of their summer acquisitions over 6ft tall – is Farke wanting them to be a tough team to beat. ‘We don’t want to play basketball,’ he said. ‘They’re tall players but also top players.’
Farke’s record in the Premier League with Norwich reads six wins, eight draws and 35 losses. Put simply, this is the 48-year-old’s chance to prove he is not just a promotion specialist and that he has learnt from those harrowing experiences in 2019-20 and 2021.
The last time Leeds went up, they finished ninth in the 2020-21 season under Marcelo Bielsa
For former Leeds boss Howard Wilkinson, the task ahead for Farke is clear.
‘My mantra in any walk of life was that you’ve got to find a way to win,’ Wilkinson told Daily Mail Sport. ‘The ultimate judgement as a manager is winning football matches. It’s not about playing short ball or long ball, it’s about win ball,’ the 81-year-old insists.
But under Farke, who has the best win percentage of anyone who has managed Leeds permanently, emphasis has also been placed on earning draws. After two seasons in the Championship, winning 56 of their 92 games, the German knows every point will be crucial if Leeds want to avoid the fate of the last six promoted sides.
‘Most of them were already relegated in February or March (in the last two seasons) so we want to be the first team to break this curse,’ Farke said.
‘We’ve got used to winning games and we need to change this mentality. If you promised me 38 draws I’d sign up. You have to value the importance of a draw. We will still go into every game wanting to win but at Premier League level, every game is valuable.
‘You have to speak about it. I liked that against Villarreal and AC Milan we were 1-0 down and drew 1-1. A draw is a good result so I wanted to prepare not just in tactical terms but in mental terms as well.’
Yet after seeing the jubilant scenes at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on Saturday, three points at a rocking Elland Road would be the perfect way to calm the nerves. Especially with Arsenal and Newcastle up next.
‘Elland Road has to be a fortress,’ Farke added ahead of the curtain-raiser against Everton. ‘But against top sides, there will be challenging periods and it’s important that our supporters are there for us during those moments. Enjoy the ride, be excited and be over excited but during the difficult times, stay a believer, stay together and stay united.’
Farke has insisted that Leeds must make Elland Road a fortress to give them a chance to stay up
So how does it feel to manage Leeds in the top-flight? Who better to ask than Wilkinson, who won the First Division with the Whites in 1992. ‘Imagine the thrill of getting down on your spikes for the 100 metres final at the Olympics but instead of lasting 10 seconds, you have 90 minutes,’ the 81-year-old said. ‘It is fairyland. It really is. That’s the only way to describe it. I never thought it was pressure – only an opportunity and an honour.’
For Farke, who knows that a poor start would only increase the noise surrounding his suitability at this level, there is the wonderful opportunity to establish Leeds in the top flight again.
‘We had this unbelievable day with the open bus tour after getting to the Premier League,’ the German said. ‘If you looked into the eyes of the people and saw how much it means to them, you become pretty humble and realise how much this club means to so many people.
‘To bring that joy and belief back to the people, you feel the responsibility. To represent this shirt in the best possible way, to establish this club in the top level. It would mean the same as winning a title… I’m always motivated by something special and extraordinary.’
