Leeds United

Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter

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Some of you have been sending BBC Sport questions about Leeds United using our 'Ask Me Anything' form.

Some focus on a potential summer move for Harvey Elliott and whether that's realistic.

Bearing in mind Aston Villa have an obligation to buy Elliott for £35m from Liverpool after his loan spell at the end of the season should he make 10 appearances, I would think that the valuation would be too high for Leeds United if they wanted him.

Elliott, 22, has a year left on his contract at Anfield where the hierarchy have shown they are content to sell. However, Villa have effectively put the deal and Elliott's career on hold by not playing him with head coach Unai Emery admitting the clash between the sporting and business decision is damaging the attacking midfielder.

In the plus column Elliott could be seen a decent signing because he has made more than 200 senior appearances for Liverpool, Fulham, Blackburn Rovers and now Aston Villa. He has scored 23 goals and has Champions League experience. However, it should be noted that of his 99 Premier League appearances he has started 36.

His playing time will be limited for the rest of this campaign as it is understood that Villa chose not to terminate Elliott's loan from Liverpool during the January window, to avoid paying an early termination penalty. His ability, as testifed by Emery, is not in question and the England Under-21 international has time on his side to keep improving.

But Leeds United's priorities would appear to lie elsewhere this summer. A top class goalkeeper and a striker - bearing in mind they were prepared to spend a similar amount to Elliot's valuation on Wolves' forward Jorgen Strand Larsen before his move to Crystal Palace - is where I would expect to see the bulk of a transfer kitty spent. I say that because the midfield is where United have a lot of resource with Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach contracted until 2029 and Ao Tanaka until 2028. I believe Elliott would enhance the squad as it stands, in my opinion, but at this stage it is a hypothetical question as to whether he is under consideration with Leeds' Premier League status needing securing.

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It was 10 November 2002 when 16-year-old James Milner made his first Premier League appearance for Leeds United.

Milner came off the bench to replace Jason Wilcox in a 4-3 win at West Ham.

What else was going on in the world in November 2002?

Number one singles in the UK around that time included "Heaven" by DJ Sammy and Yanou featuring Do and "Unbreakable" by Westlife.

On television, ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals was approaching its conclusion (whatever happened to One True Voice?) while series two of The Office had just ended - would a tearful David Brent avoid being made redundant from his job at Wernham Hogg?

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "Die Another Day" were released in UK cinemas.

Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford was a month old, while former US Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu was born three days after Milner's senior debut.

James Milner now holds the all-time record for the most Premier League appearances.

The former England international, 40, made his 654th Premier League outing in Wednesday's defeat at former club Aston Villa - which took him past the previous mark set by Gareth Barry.

Milner made his debut for Leeds in November 2002 as a 16-year-old and became the Premier League's youngest-ever goalscorer before the end of that year.

He featured regularly at first-team level from then on, but his time at Elland Road came to an end when Leeds, in deep financial trouble at the time, were relegated from the top flight in 2004.

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Milner was contracted to Newcastle for four years, although he spent the 2005-06 campaign on loan at Aston Villa and nearly joined them full-time in the summer of 2006.

That move to Villa Park would eventually happen in 2008.

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Milner was a key part of a Villa side that narrowly missed out on silverware and Champions League qualification under Martin O'Neill.

He scored the opening goal in Villa's 2010 League Cup final loss to Manchester United.

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Milner moved to Manchester City in the early weeks of the 2010-11 season and won numerous honours during his five seasons with the club, including two Premier League titles and one FA Cup.

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Milner swapped City for Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer of 2015 and spent eight seasons with the Reds.

While at Anfield, he won all three major domestic trophies and the Champions League in 2019.

Milner played more Premier League games for Liverpool (230) than any of the other top-flight clubs he has represented.

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Milner has been with Brighton since 2023, appearing in the Seagulls' first-ever European campaign in 2023-24.

He recently joined a select band of outfield players to have made a Premier League appearance after their 40th birthday and is more than seven years older than his current boss Fabian Hurzeler.

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Pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Somers to bring you the action and talking points from Tuesday's and Wednesday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

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Leeds defender Ethan Ampadu says his side had "full confidence" they could come back to get a result against Chelsea on Tuesday evening, even when they were 2-0 down in the second half at Stamford Bridge.

"We're delighted," Ampadu told BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope.

"It was a game of two halves. We started the game and imposed ourselves like we wanted to do and then they had a couple of moments where they opened us up a little bit and we got sucked into that and gave them space to create.

"When you play a fantastic team they find that and put the ball in the net.

"At half-time we believed we could change it. We just needed to change the momentum a little bit and get it back on our side.

"We had full belief that whatever happened in the second-half - whether we scored first or they scored first - that we could change the game and get a positive result."

Chelsea made it 2-0 shortly after the break and looked to be coasting to victory before two goals in six minutes from the Daniel Farke's side.

Asked if he was surprised Farke didn't make a change at half-time, Ampadu said: "Definitely not. He [Farke] was confident we could do what the plan was from the start.

"We started the first half well but didn't do it enough but he gave us the confidence. They scored an early goal which unsettled it a bit but we had full confidence we would get back into the game.

"With the chance they had at the end it's hard to say we're disappointed. But, we also need that little bit of luck and we had that. Usually Cole Palmer puts that in the back of the net but he didn't today which is very fortunate for us.

"They are a very good team and have a lot of quality. They showed that. To pick up four points against them this season is a good feeling but we still know there is a long way to go."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Tuesday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Leeds United.

Here are some of your comments:

Chelsea fans

Nick: Two more points surrendered at home. Two more points dropped from a winning position. Two more points gift-wrapped to the opposition by Chelsea forgetting matches last 90 minutes. Essentially, 60 minutes of controlled, totally dominant, attractive play undone by switching off for six minutes. Intensely frustrating.

Kazuki: Again, our naivety cost us the game. This concept of a young and exciting team is fine as a presentation to the world, but when it's really young from the management to the coach to the players we don't have to stick to the concept as much and could bring in some steel with experience in defence. Please, please, I beg you Chelsea.

James: Leeds is always a tough test but from such a commanding position the game should be seen out. Sloppy in defence second half and it is dropping points like this that could prove costly at the end of the season.

Simon: Poor management, not reacting to the changing game. Desperately need a new keeper as well. Lots of work to be done.

Leeds fans

AC: Apart from the gifted pen Bijol was a welcome return. Credit Daniel Farke as he subbed Okafor for Bornauw, tweaked the setup and we got the ball forward quicker. Dodged a bullet at the end with Palmers miss. Very happy to take a point from the game.

Darren: It's the first time this season I can honestly remember Leeds getting a slice of luck and maybe a result they didn't merit. However, a few more of these will be required to even out the times when the exact opposite is true.

Ian: I'm not quite sure how Leeds pulled that off. When Bijol had a rush of blood to his arms I thought we were dead and buried. A never say die attitude rattled the Chelsea defence and a vital point with another two top-five sides to come.

Jason: Bogle was phenomenal in the Championship last season and he has excelled in the Premier League. Why don't I hear him being touted for an England call up?

JPL: How on earth did we pull that off? Still, we got a very valuable point and we'll take it. No one said this first season back was going to be easy. Every point counts. Can't help feeling a tad sorry for Palmer - that will take some forgetting.

Sean Kearns
BBC Sport

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Only Daniel Farke and his players will know how they got back into that one.

They barely laid a glove on Chelsea before Lukas Nmecha's spot-kick and it looked as though their dismal away form - one win on the road this season - would continue.

But their fightback from two goals down was exactly the type of gutsy, spirited display that has epitomised Farke's men in recent weeks.

It didn't come about because of great play or tactical innovation, but through sheer perseverance and refusing to believe that the game was done.

Farke has earned plenty of plaudits since moving to a back three in December, but this was a victory of a different kind.

"We've shown this throughout the season and we've proved we are a proper Premier League side and we want to earn the points to play in this league for longer," Farke told TNT Sports.

"We want to be an established Premier League side in a few years and we are on a good path to achieving that this season."

After West Ham's draw with Manchester United, Leeds remain six points above the relegation zone.

That gap says more about the Hammers' recent revival in form than it does any lingering fears that Farke's side are still contenders for the drop.

They'll feel that, with 12 matches to play, 10 more points to reach the coveted 40-point mark is more than achievable.

Leeds United are plotting a £30m summer move for Manchester City's 23-year-old goalkeeper James Trafford. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Leeds manager Daniel Farke speaking to TNT Sports: "The boys did us proud. Chelsea, of course, were the dominate side and created more chances and won the statistics - but I think we fought so hard for this point. It's a well-deserved point and I'm very proud of the lads."

On Jaka Bijol's performance: "Overall, really good. Let's be honest we are praising ourselves for being the 'toughest' league in the world - it was a very, very soft penalty. But you can say that he shouldn't give the referee a decision to make, of course. It was not the smartest decision to touch him with both hands."

On Leeds fighting spirit: "We've shown this throughout the season and we've proved we are a proper Premier League side and we want to earn the points to play in this league for longer.

"We want to be an established Premier League side in a few years and we are on a good path to achieving that this season."

Hear more from Farke on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Leeds have avoided defeat home and away in a Premier League season (W1 D1) against Chelsea for the first time since 2000-01.

• Leeds avoided defeat having been two goals behind in a Premier League away game for the first time since March 2022 (3-2 win against Wolves).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Chelsea's performance

What did you make of Leeds' display?

Come back on Wednesday for a selection of your replies

There are four games in the Premier League on Tuesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Chelsea v Leeds

• Everton v Bournemouth

• Tottenham v Newcastle

• West Ham v Manchester United (20:15)

Kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

And listen to Around The Grounds on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds from 19:00

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

It's two changes from Chelsea from the side that beat Wolves convincingly on the weekend.

Estevao and Josh Acheampong come into the side, with Pedro Neto and Wesley Fofana making way.

Captain Reece James, who Liam Rosenior said was ill during his pre-match news conference yesterday, doesn't make the squad.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella, Andrey Santos, Caicedo, Enzo, Palmer, Estevao, Joao Pedro

Subs: Sharman-Lowe, Badiashile, Fofana, Sarr, Hato, Garnacho, Neto, Delap, Guiu

Image source, Premier League

There is no place for Dominic Calvert-Lewin in Leeds' matchday squad.

The former Everton forward's hit 10 goals this season and has been one of the biggest drivers behind the side's revival in recent weeks.

Leeds XI: Darlow, Justin, Rodon, Bogle, Bijol, Gudmundsson, Ampadu, Gruev, Nmecha, Bornauw, Aaronson

Subs: Perri, Byram, Longstaff, Tanaka, Buonanotte, James, Okafor, Gnonto, Piroe

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope thinks a tally in the "late 30s" will be enough for Premier League survival.

Leeds sit on 29 points in 16th place, with West Ham in the relegation places in 18th on 23 points.

"I still think something in the late 30s will do it," Pope told BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast.

Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix says he is feeling "a bit cocky" given the Whites' recent form.

"If you think we only need nine more points from 13 games it seems mad," he says.

"West Ham need 18 more from their 13 games. When they only have 23 from the first lot of games, it seems, practically, like they can't do that.

"People are scared of us getting 42 points and still getting relegated. West Ham are in a great run of form but in their amazing run they've caught up with Leeds by two points. To me, it's very hard for them to catch us basically."

Listen to Don't Go To Bed Just Yet in full

Adonis Storr
Fan writer

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When Leeds United's starting line-up was announced in a social media post from the club's account before kick-off last Friday night against Nottingham Forest, the most notable topic in the comments was disappointment that Ilia Gruev was starting.

The general sentiments can be summed up by one tweet: "Gruev wasn't good enough for the Championship, but they let him start every Premier League game."

While the Bulgarian is a defensive midfielder, his four assists and zero goals in the previous 67 league appearances before Friday night's 3-1 victory over Forest had not got everyone enthused.

But after being kicked in the head by team-mate Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 65th minute, it was Gruev's name ringing out around Elland Road. At that stage, Leeds were 3-0 up, Gruev had two assists and was having his best game in a Leeds shirt.

But the Bulgarian midfielder didn't just play well last Friday, his performance was statistically one of the all-time great individual efforts seen at Elland Road.

Gruev became only the third player in the Premier League since 2003 (when Opta began tracking these metrics) to complete over 25 passes, have a passing accuracy of 98% or more and register two assists., external

"It's not that often that he shines in the offence with goals or assists, so it's even better that he has done that on Friday night," Daniel Farke said of Illia at the pre-Chelsea news conference.

One of the things the Leeds manager perhaps hasn't been given enough credit for, is improving players; and Gruev's performance has shown that even Leeds fans don't know how good this team could be.

When asked if Gruev was OK after a game in which he was kicked in the head, Farke said "Ilia is tough" and in that sense the Bulgarian is representing Leeds in more ways than one.

Find more from Adonis Storr at The Roaring Peacock, external

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

In-form Chelsea are seeking a seventh successive home league win over Leeds United, whose most recent victory at Stamford Bridge came in December 1999.

Nonetheless, Leeds won this season's reverse fixture 3-1 and are looking to complete their first league double over Chelsea since the 1991-92 title-winning campaign.

Chelsea making most of favourable fixtures

Seven wins in nine games has been an impressive riposte by Liam Rosenior to those who questioned his appointment as Chelsea head coach five weeks ago. On Saturday, aided by Cole Palmer's club record fourth Premier League hat-trick, he became just the second English manager to win his first four matches in charge in the competition.

The first, Craig Shakespeare, went on to win his first five with Leicester City in 2017 but was sacked six months later. Rosenior will be well aware how quickly fortunes can turn.

Rosenior's lack of experience at a top-level club means he is considered by some to be a gamble. The odds have been in his favour so far thanks to a kind run of league fixtures; Leeds and Burnley are up next, meaning Chelsea will have played five top-flight games in a row against sides in the bottom six at the time.

Their record against teams in the lower part of the table is the third best in the division. The greater test for Rosenior and his players will be to sustain their form in the games that follow, starting on 1 March with a trip to Arsenal.

Whites flag on the road

Leeds United are one of two sides, along with Brighton, among the current bottom eight to have beaten Chelsea this season. That was a 3-1 victory for the Whites under the lights at Elland Road in December, and they made it five wins from five in night games at home this season by beating Nottingham Forest on Friday.

Manager Daniel Farke, who was understandably delighted with "a massive performance and a massive win", took four points from his two previous meetings with Rosenior when the latter was in charge at Hull City in the 2023-24 Championship season.

However, Leeds have only won two of their past 25 Premier League away fixtures – both against Wolves, in March 2023 and September this season.

They have seven away points this season from 12 games. Only Wolves and Burnley have a worse away record, and Leeds have earned a lower proportion of their points on the road than any other side in the division.

Leeds turned Chelsea over at Elland Road in December but they are not the same force away from home and this game smells of Chelsea revenge to me.

The Blues have made a good start under new boss Liam Rosenior, with four wins out of four in the league. Cole Palmer has hit form too, and they should win this fairly comfortably.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

The latest Don't Go To Bed Just Yet episode is available!

The Whites picked up a huge win against Nottingham Forest last Friday and face Chelsea on Tuesday evening in a game you can hear live on BBC Radio Leeds.

Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Kaiser Chiefs' bassist Simon Rix ask if they can afford to start looking up the Premier League table, rather than down it, and they delve into the fine form of Ilia Gruev.

Pope said: "Gruev has got to be one of the first on the sheet – he is so consistent. He has added something to his game. It is a hard case to remove him out of that side."

In his 78th appearance for Leeds in all competitions, Gruev provided two assists in a game for the first time.

Rix also supported Pope's view and said: "He has made a case for himself to always be in there."

Listen to the full episode here

Explore all Leeds United content on BBC Sounds

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ilia Gruev should be fit but Pascal Struijk and Anton Stach will miss out.

• Offering more detail, Farke said: "Dominic was struggling with illness but I hope it's not too bad. Pascal Struijk will definitely miss this game, he has problems with his hip flexor. Stach will be back probably just for the Villa game. Apart from this I hope to have everyone available."

• On Struijk, Farke added: "You miss a player with red-hot form. Pascal was a rock in the last weeks. He is the only left-footed centre-back. If you play with three at the back it makes a difference. A right-footed player has different passing angles. Also his strength in the air, in the last game he won so many headers. It is not ideal to not have him available."

• On travelling to one of the big-name clubs on the road, Farke offered: "It is still the same game, same rules, 11 v 11. You feel more comfortable at home but it's still the same game. We travel with confidence, belief and if we perform well we know we have a chance on the road."

• Farke reflected on the win over Chelsea in December - a result which started a superb upturn in form for Leeds: "Each time we win it's a pivotal game. There was no turning point. We had wins before, at home and on the road. One thing is for sure, it was a top performance and fully deserved win. Days like this don't come that often that you are able to dominate one of the big names. To win in this way, this is why we worked so hard for two and a half years to be back on this level. This result won't help us tomorrow. They may want to show a reaction and we maybe need to be more on it."

• On a points tally needed to stay in the Premier League: "It doesn't matter if I change my assessment of how many points we need. It's not like if we achieve 38 points we want to stop winning points. In general, the data and stats say one point average per game you will stay up. If it's one out of 20 seasons or whatever where you need more points, then we need more points. I am not too concentrated on doing maths. I am concentrated on winning football games."

• Facundo Buonanotte was left out against Nottingham Forest and asked if he has impressed since, Farke said: "We had the session on Saturday morning with a smaller group - Sunday a light one. It wasn't that you could impress too much in the session. He is a top guy and reacted in the way we expected."

• Farke was asked about the form of Gruev and praised his consistency, stating: "He was always a very reliable player for us. You always get a seven-out-of-10 performance from him. He has a really good defensive awareness, tactically spot on, covers more than 12km every game and helps us with reliability in passing. He is an important player for us and going forward."

• On the return of Dan James: "It's good we have him back. He was out for eight and a half weeks, relatively long. Even before it was on and off for him in terms of injury. He is a very experienced player, knows his body and what he has to do. He came back in good shape. Right now, each day, with us on the training pitch is beneficial. He looked sharp in training and was involved in the matchday squad. So it's good to have him back. Hopefully now he can stay fit."

• Farke was asked how he stays emotionally level when his side come up against the Premier League's big-name teams and suffer setbacks: "The fire is burning inside and I am a pretty emotional person. If you want to be a manager at this level you can't jump around on the sidelines or in a press conference. The players need a proper leader who they know they can trust, who stays balanced and calm. I can't allow myself to burst out too often with my emotions. After the game, before the game, you are concentrated and focused. The players are emotional anyway. For such a passionate club, it never works if you can't handle the heat. Against the big teams you have mixed results. You can't always beat Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, whatever."

Listen to more from Daniel Farke on BBC Sounds

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Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison reacting to Friday's result as Leeds beat Nottingham Forest: "It was bad for Forest. Credit to Leeds, they were outstanding. The players they have brought have done ever so well. The likes of Okafor and Calvert-Lewin look a threat.

"Leeds have a great chance to stay up as Elland Road is one of the hardest places to play.

"Forest were poor - massively poor. They need to be better than that. Pressure will mount on them. I still think they will stay up but it is going to go down to the wire. That was a six-pointer and Leeds were fantastic."

Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards on Nottingham Forest hosting Wolves on Wednesday: "Must win. Simple. The optics of it are terrible if you lose at home to the worst team in the league. They have that dilemma with Europe too. It will be emotional and will capture the attention of the players being in the knockout round.

"We praised Sean Dyche when he came in for making them hard to beat. I'm not so sure they are that hard to beat at the moment. That's when you're in trouble when that is a manager's philosophy - being hard to beat but you aren't."

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Pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures and Friday's action.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Bournemouth 1-1 Aston Villa

• Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland

• Newcastle 2-3 Brentford