Leeds United is giving one more push for promotion, but they are keeping all options open.
As 17th-place Queens Park Rangers shocked Leeds United 4-0 on Friday, the team was left startled. Daniel Farke’s team was hammered at Loftus Road after failing to find a way through despite having the most of the ball and trying 15 shots on goal.
Leeds are now quite likely to miss out on finishing in the top two because Ipswich Town poses a real danger to their season-long success. With a game remaining, the Tractor Boys and the Whites share 90 points at the moment, and a win might force Leeds into the play-offs and prevent them from receiving automatic promotion.
The team Leeds plays for the upcoming season may have a big influence on their summer transfer window activities. Their prospects of attracting top players will inevitably increase when they are promoted to the Premier League, but the club’s executives don’t appear to be letting that derail their plans.
Regardless of whether they compete in the Premier League or Championship next season, Leeds ‘intend to sign’ Nat Phillips from Liverpool, according to the Sunday Mirror’s most recent print edition. The defender was allegedly on the team’s “wish list” in January, but the agreement fell through, and Phillips signed a loan to Cardiff City.
The 27-year-old spent the first part of the season at Celtic, before being recalled by Liverpool. He then moved to Wales for his second loan stay, and since then, he has appeared in every Cardiff Championship game. He was born in Scotland.
With the club embarking on a new and uncertain era, Phillips’ future “remains unclear” as he approaches the last 12 months of his current deal. The center back has expressed a desire to play regularly, but it’s unclear if the club will cash in to prevent losing players for free the following season or if Phillips and other periphery players will get opportunities under the new manager after Jurgen Klopp leaves at the end of the year.
The defender, who was born in Bolton, came through for Liverpool during a defensive injury crisis in the 2020–21 season, but he fell back in the lineup once Virgil van Dijk and other players recovered from injury. Klopp has spoken highly of Phillips throughout the years, praising his work ethic and efforts, even calling him a “monster” in the air. The 27-year-old’s current Transfermarkt valuation is just €3.5 million (£3m).
