Leeds United will be playing Premier League football next season and will be aiming to buck the recent trend of newly-promoted teams going straight back down.
All three of the promoted sides from the Championship have been relegated in each of the last two seasons, including Southampton, Leicester City, and Ipswich Town this term.
The Whites know that they need to recruit well for Daniel Farke to build a squad that is capable of competing in the Premier League week-in-week-out in the 2025/26 campaign.
Leeds won the Championship title with a 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle on the final day earlier this month, hitting a century of points in the process, but that achievement does not mean that they already have a squad that is ready for the top-flight.
There is, obviously, a gap in quality between the Premier League and the Championship, and Whites star Dan James is, perhaps, the best example of that, given the difference in his output in the top-flight and the second tier.
Why Dan James may not be ready to star in the Premier League
The Wales international was named the club’s 2024/25 Player of the Year recently after another impressive season from the right-sided attacker under Farke.
James racked up 12 goals and nine assists in 36 appearances in the Championship to help the Whites on their way to 100 points and the league title, which shows that he provided a consistent threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals on the right flank.
The 27-year-old speedster also caught the eye with his contributions at the top end of the pitch in the 2023/24 campaign, with a return of 13 goals, 13 ‘big chances’ created, and seven assists in 43 appearances in the second tier.
This means that James has scored 25 goals and provided 16 assists in the Championship since the start of last season, which is a fantastic haul and proves that he has been a star for Farke in the final third.
Appearances
34
24
Goals
4
2
Big chances created
5
3
Key passes per game
0.8
0.4
Assists
4
1
Dribbles completed per game
0.6
0.3
However, as you can see in the table above, the Welsh attacker’s last two seasons in the Premier League suggest that he may not be able to replicate that kind of form for the Whites next term.
James failed to provide consistent quality at the top end of the pitch for Fulham and Leeds in those two campaigns, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to show a better version of himself in the top-flight this time around.
This is why the former Manchester United forward may not be a star for Leeds next season, despite his form this year, and that is why a fresh report on the club’s interest in a new winger is good news for Farke.
Leeds eyeing deal for Bundesliga forward
According to Foot Mercato, Leeds United are one of a number of clubs interested in a deal to sign Borussia Monchengladbach winger Franck Honorat in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that OGC Nice and Freiburg are also keen on the 28-year-old attacker, who moved to the Bundesliga from Stade Brest in the summer of 2023.
Transfer Focus
This means that there could be plenty of competition to land his services ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, as Farke lines up a raid on his former club, having managed Gladbach between 2022 and 2023.
The German boss moved on from the club before Honorat arrived in the summer of 2023, though, so there will not be any advantage for Leeds from that perspective.
Foot Mercato does not reveal how much money it would take for Gladbach to consider selling the experienced forward, but the Whites should press ahead with a move for the star because he could be an even better option than Dan James in the Premier League next season.
Why Franck Honorat could be a better option than Dan James
As aforementioned, the current Leeds star has failed to prove that he has the quality to perform consistently in the top-flight of English football in his previous seasons at that level.
James is an undoubted talent in the Championship but his output in the Premier League in the past is a concern ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, as he may not have what it takes to fire the Whites to safety with goals and assists on a regular basis.
Honorat, however, has already proven that he can deliver impressive performances in two of Europe’s top five leagues, as shown by his form for Stade Brest in Ligue 1 and for Gladbach in the Bundesliga.
During his time in France, the 28-year-old attacker produced 25 goals and 16 assists in 103 Ligue 1 matches for Stade Brest, with at least six goals and five assists in all three of his league seasons there.
His form in Ligue 1 led to a move to Gladbach on a permanent deal in the summer of 2023, and the French star has proven himself in the Bundesliga in the last two seasons.
Appearances
32
17
Goals
3
4
Big chances created
19
12
Key passes per game
2.8
2.5
Assists
9
7
As you can see in the table above, the Leeds target has created a staggering 31 ‘big chances’ in 49 appearances in the Bundesliga for his current club, whilst James created eight ‘big chances’ in 58 games in his last two seasons in the Premier League.
Honorat, who was described as “fast” by Gladbach sporting director Roland Virkus, has proven himself to be an exceptional creative force on the wing for both Gladbach and Stade Brest in Europe over the past five seasons, which suggests that he has the quality to make the step over to the Premier League.
The 28-year-old star has already proven that he has the ability to deliver consistent quality in the final third in France and Germany, whilst James is yet to prove himself in any major leagues, and that is why he could be even better than the Welsh forward for Farke next season.
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Honorat could improve the club’s chances of avoiding instant relegation to the Championship because his statistics suggest that he is more likely to be a difference-maker who can win vital points for Leeds with goals and assists than Dan James is.