Summary Leeds United's poor performances and lack of positive results suggest that the club is in crisis and unlikely to achieve promotion. The squad's weakness, coupled with the mass exodus of the club's best players on loan, has contributed to the negative outlook. Journalist Conor McGilligan doubts that Leeds will finish any higher than 15th and believes that manager Daniel Farke may consider moving on if the situation doesn't improve.
Journalist Conor McGilligan has slammed Leeds United after their performance against Birmingham City, insisting there is nothing positive going on at Elland Road this season.
What's the latest on Leeds United?
Having been relegated from the Premier League last season after a year of underwhelming performances, there was some optimism among Leeds supporters that they would at least see their side get back to winning ways in the Championship.
That has been far from the case so far, however, with the Whites having picked up just one point from two Championship matches.
An opening day 2-2 draw with Cardiff City that required a late equaliser was followed by a dismal 1-0 defeat against Birmingham that featured another late strike, this time one that went against Leeds.
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In between there was a far from convincing 2-1 win over League One Shrewsbury in the Carabao Cup first round which provided the only competitive victory of the Daniel Farke era so far.
Combine this with the mass exodus of the club's best players on loan due to relegation clauses in their contracts, and a failure to bring a great deal of quality through the door at Elland Road, and things look pretty bleak in Yorkshire.
Put frankly, the club find themselves in a crisis, one that McGilligan has little hope they will find their way out of any time soon.
Speaking after the Birmingham defeat, he said: "We've had a truly horrific performance aginst Birmingham City which shows no credentials for promotion whatsoever, and this isn't being dramatic, I said this yesterday, we're looking down rather than up, 100%, and the reason I say that is because the squad is so weak, so weak."
He added: "I don't know what more to say really. I'm almost just at a given up phase, I am, and the season's not even started. There is no positivity whatsoever. You'll see the happy clappers, the super fans, have all gone quiet because unfortunately these are the facts."
McGilligan believes Leeds would be "lucky to finish in 15th" if things stay as they are, even suggesting that Farke – who only arrived in early July – would be "thinking about moving on pretty quickly" if his four-year deal had been a shorter contract.
The club's hopes of making a swift return to the Premier League look in doubt already with struggles on and off the pitch jeopardising Leeds' promotion push.
By contrast, the other clubs that were relegated last season – Leicester City and Southampton – have made significantly stronger starts, pikcing up six and four points from their opening two games respectively.
While there is still time to shift the narrative in the transfer market, Farke has an enromous job on his hands to steady the ship.
Who have Leeds signed?
Leeds have managed to sign four players this summer, a concerning low number given ten have already left and more are likely to follow.
Ethan Ampadu was Leeds' first signing of the window from Chelsea and was followed up by cost-effective deals for Karl Darlow from Newcastle and Sam Byram as a free agent.
Farke has managed to add a little top-flight experience to his side in the form of Joe Rodon. The Spurs centre-back has signed on loan having spent last season at Rennes in Ligue 1.
The Whites have been linked with strikers Tom Cannon and Joel Piroe in recent weeks, while also having been touted with an interest in Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips.