'Piroe loan seems sensible all-round'published at 13:39 BST 18 August
13:39 BST 18 August
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Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix says Leeds United need to make sure the conditions of Joel Piroe's loan to West Ham United is "watertight" before looking at strengthening their attack this summer.
The 27-year-old failed to find the target once across 16 Premier League appearances last season, but he has recorded 74 goals in 182 Championship appearances during his spells at Leeds United and Swansea City.
"The rumour that I've seen, which I think would be a good deal for everyone, is a loan with an obligation to buy if West Ham get promoted," Rix said on the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast.
"That sort of deal seems sensible all-round. It would be very worthwhile for West Ham to have Joel Piroe in their ranks.
"The club need to do this Piroe deal and make sure it is watertight before looking at other strikers though.
"I was dubious about it at the beginning, but now I think as long as the permanent deal is completed in this accounting period then it doesn't matter if we get the £15m in August or June. So, taking that into account, it feels like quite a good deal.
"Let's say West Ham don't go up, hopefully he has another 15 Championship goals to his name and we still have a chance of getting rid of him for something in June."
BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope added: "I'm not sure about it. Leeds need someone else up there so, in the absence of that, do you really let him go?
"It does feel like business sense says get that deal done now, though."
🎧 Leeds 'will be better to watch' this seasonpublished at 08:17 BST 18 August
08:17 BST 18 August
Media caption,
Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix says he doesn't know what to expect from Leeds United this season, but he predicts to see more "attractive football".
In the latest episode of BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, the team discussed Leeds' prospects for the 2026-27 campaign after their dominant display against Augsburg on Saturday.
Click play above to hear the full clip and listen to the episode on BBC Sounds here.
Is gap between Champions League and Championship getting smaller?published at 08:09 BST 18 August
08:09 BST 18 August
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
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Last season, the Premier League was arguably more competitive than it has been for years.
While the 65 points between champions Arsenal and bottom side Wolves was around the average for a 38-game season (63), a real revolution took place in mid-table.
Since the league was reduced to 20 teams in 1995-96, the gap between the top four and the bottom three – between what has often been the Champions League and the Championship – had been increasing as the seasons went by, with the 'bigger' clubs profiting from their European adventures and the extra money they earned by regularly finishing higher in the table.
But last season, the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' of the Premier League dropped from 44 points in 2024-25 to just 26 points – the smallest distance for 23 years (since 25 points in 2002-03).
The European places were more attainable than they had been for years. Despite taking a point fewer than when they finished seventh the season before, Aston Villa clinched Champions League qualification by finishing two places higher.
While Liverpool took the 'bonus' Champions League place by finishing fifth, their points total of 60 was the lowest by a side finishing there for 19 years and would have put them ninth in 2024-25.
Bournemouth and Sunderland also took full advantage of needing fewer points than normal by qualifying for European competition for the first time ever and for over half a century respectively.
The latest episode of BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast has dropped on BBC Sounds.
Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Kaiser Chiefs' bassist Simon Rix look ahead to the start of the 2026-27 Premier League season, and ask what else needs to be done to the squad for it to be in the best position.
Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.
'We can achieve anything we want' published at 12:17 BST 17 August
12:17 BST 17 August
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Goalkeeper James Trafford says joining Leeds United was the "best move" for his career, after he made his first appearance for the club in a pre-season friendly against Manchester United last week.
The 23-year-old moved to Elland Road from Manchester City at the start of August and believes playing for Leeds will help him "achieve his dreams".
"I'm obviously really excited to be here and working towards the season and I'm excited to give the season a really good go, and achieve everything that we want to achieve," Trafford told BBC Radio Leeds.
"It's the best move for me at this stage of my career and for all my dreams that I want to achieve. This puts me in the best stead to achieve those dreams and I can't wait.
"We can achieve anything we want to achieve. From the week I've had so far, we're always trying to get better and we're always trying to improve. When you think about that you're always going one way and that's upwards. It's a really exciting time."
Leeds thump Augsburg to end pre-season with a winpublished at 18:15 BST 15 August
18:15 BST 15 August
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Leeds concluded their pre-season campaign with an emphatic 4-0 win over Bundesliga side FC Augsburg at Elland Road on Saturday.
Daniel Farke's side were impressive throughout and raced into a 3-0 lead before half-time through goals from Anton Stach, James Justin and a fine overhead kick from defender Tarik Muharemovic.
After the break, Leeds completed the scoring through substitute Lucas Nmecha,
'I am even more hungry than last season' - Okaforpublished at 16:57 BST 13 August
16:57 BST 13 August
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Leeds United forward Noah Okafor played his first minutes of pre-season against Manchester United on Wednesday.
The Switzerland international returned to training last week after an extended break as his nation reached the quarter-finals of this summer's World Cup.
Okafor said it was "amazing to be back with the team on the pitch."
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, he said: "I was really happy to be back and now we just have to keep building, working and looking forward day by day."
On his performance, he added: "That's the game I play, the game I used to play. I need a few more days to work on my fitness... then when it starts I am ready."
Okafor only played 19 minutes for Switzerland as a substitute during this summer's tournament and expressed his disappointment.
"The World Cup was not so good for me because I didn't play so much. The coach didn't let me play, I don't know why because I did really great," he explained.
"I came with a lot of confidence, I did an amazing season but in the end he just decides like this, but now I keep it to the side so just focus on Leeds. Give every day 100% in training and this season help the team again like last season."
The forward scored eight goals and provided one assist in 28 Premier League appearances last term and is determined to improve as preparation for the new season continues.
"I am even more hungry than last season. I adapted more in the Premier League and adapted to the team. The most important thing is to stay healthy and fit, keep every day with a smile and try to help the team with goals and assists," he said.
Trafford 'desperate to play' against Man Utd - Farkepublished at 10:54 BST 13 August
10:54 BST 13 August
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Leeds United boss Daniel Farke says James Trafford "was desperate to play" Wednesday's friendly against Manchester United despite only completing one session with the Whites beforehand.
Trafford, who cost a club record fee of £40m, only joined up with Farke's squad on Tuesday before travelling to Dublin to face United.
Despite this, the England international was in the starting XI and played 45 minutes before being replaced by Alex Cairns.
His first-half performance, most notably tipping Bryan Mbeumo's sharp effort round the post, was enough to earn him Man of the Match.
"I was a bit unsure in the beginning, but he was so desperate to play," said Farke. "We just have two games so I need the connection.
"The medical department were really concerned, but I took the responsibility. Once a top class player wants to play football, you don't stand in the way too much.
"I think [this being] the first time [he's played for Leeds] was good for his confidence.
"Everyone could also see why we signed him, and also although he's not in full fitness, he looked sharp and quick. He has good presence on the pitch and is good with his feet.
"We are all happy to have him.
"It's also good that he came through the game without an injury and that he has his first 45 minutes under the belt.
"We'll use the next [few] days to work further with him and then hopefully he can prove when the real stuff starts what a what a big signing for us he could be."
Man Utd beat Leeds on penalties in pre-season friendlypublished at 08:56 BST 13 August
08:56 BST 13 August
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Manchester United won 5-4 on penalties against rivals Leeds in a pre-season friendly at Croke Park.
Noussair Mazraoui scored the winning spot kick as the match ended 1-1 in normal time.
Joshua Zirkzee opened the scoring in the first half after he swept in a first-time effort from 18 yards.
Brenden Aaronson equalised for Leeds 13 minutes later, when he broke into the box to latch on to Dan James' ball and poke past Man Utd goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Gossip: Gelhardt set for permanent Hull switchpublished at 07:24 BST 13 August
07:24 BST 13 August
Hull City are close to completing a deal to re-sign Joe Gelhardt from Leeds permanently after the English striker spent the past two seasons on loan at the Tigers. (Sky Sports), external
How do add-ons work in football transfers?published at 07:16 BST 13 August
07:16 BST 13 August
It is common practice these days for transfer fees to have performance-based add-ons. The theory is the selling club gains more if the player goes on to be extremely successful, while the buying club is to some extent protected financially if the transfer doesn't work out.
In some cases, the total value of add-ons is significant - Real Madrid could end up paying an extra £30m to Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham depending on how successful he is over the course of his career in the Spanish capital, for example.
In others, like the potential £1.7m worth of add-ons Brighton's £29.78m signing of Greece Under-21 forward Charalampos Kostoulas, are less significant.
Clubs sometimes say add-ons are 'easily achievable' or 'difficult'.
Easier-to-achieve add-ons can include things like making a basic number of appearances, or scoring a certain amount of goals. Add-ons can also be attached to a team's success rather than the individual player's - a club may agree to an add-on requiring an extra payment if they qualify for Europe, for example.
Others can be more ambitious - tied to extreme levels of individual or collective success, like winning the Champions League or the Ballon d'Or.
An example of the difficulty add-ons can present when discussing valuations would be the claims made in the Portuguese media in 2022 that the first additional payment in Darwin Nunez's £64m-plus-add-ons move from Benfica to Liverpool was triggered by the Uruguayan making just 10 appearances.
Then Liverpool boss Arne Slot rejected speculation he had not started Nunez in some games because it would trigger an additional payment.
Whether Liverpool paid more for Nunez, or club captain Virgil van Dijk - for whom they paid a flat fee of £75m to Southampton in 2017 - cannot be determined without knowing exactly what add-ons were included in the Nunez deal, then figuring out which conditions he has and has not met.
Is it the 'end of the line' for Piroe?published at 12:00 BST 12 August
12:00 BST 12 August
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Jonny Buchan and Kaiser Chiefs' bassist Simon Rix have been contemplating what the future holds for Joel Piroe on the latest episode of Don't Go To Bed Just Yet.
Buchan told the BBC Radio Leeds podcast: "There's been some talk about Joel Piroe, hasn't there? You know, he didn't play in the game at the weekend against RB Leipzig, even though it was a 120-minute game. And that would suggest the thought process after that is that he's just down the pecking order.
"That's what Daniel Farke has sort of suggested. And therefore that will probably mean he will likely go out somewhere if someone comes for him, surely?"
Rix said: "I don't really understand the logic. I guess there's some wages and stuff like that, but he's definitely third in the pecking order.
"I guess, with Wilson coming in as well, he's down the pecking order for kind of number 10-ish as well. So I don't know. It just seems like the end of the line.
"It's just like, just go in a nice way and go do something else. And Leeds fans will always rate you and have, you know, be happy for your contribution. Whereas now, It's souring it a little bit."
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