🦁 PL Previews: Leeds hope to be Marsching on together at Elland Road | OneFootball

After flirting dangerously close to relegation in a season which ultimately cost Leeds legend Marcelo Bielsa his job, they will be hoping for better under Jesse Marsch going forward.

The American steadied the ship and steered the Whites away from those fears after taking over in late February.

Though they have lost influential duo Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha this summer, some astute arrivals have increased optimism around Elland Road once more.

Click here to see all of our season previews so far.

Transfers 🔁

In: Brenden Aaronson (RB Salzburg, £25m), Rasmus Kristensen (RB Salzburg, £10m), Marc Roca (Bayern Munich, £11m), Darko Gyabi (Manchester City, £5m), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig, £20m), Luis Sinisterra (Feyenoord, £21m), Sonny Perkins (free)

Out: Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City, £42m), Raphinha (Barcelona, £49m), Nohan Kenneh (Hibernian, undisclosed), Laurens de Bock (Zulte Waregem, free), Tyler Roberts (QPR, loan), Charlie Cresswell & Jamie Shackleton (both Millwall, loan)

Transfer balance: £0

Key fixtures 📆

🔑 Key player: Illan Meslier

Two key players have departed, which leaves the onus on the man between the posts to prove himself as an unsung hero ready to step out of their shadows.

Meslier is a popular figure among fans and players alike and built upon an impressive first Premier League season by shining in a struggling side last year.

Although last season’s stats may seem damning — Meslier kept just five Premier League clean sheets — the Frenchman was unfortunate to be playing for such  a gung-ho side.

He kept 11 clean sheets in the previous campaign and, at the age of 22, there is so much improvement to come from the goalkeeper.

What has changed since last season? 🤔

The main change are the departures of Raphinha and Phillips, although the signing of Salzburg duo Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen appear like smart additions, particularly with Stuart Dallas and Luke Ayling sidelined long term.

Tyler Adams adds an exciting dimension to Marsch’s midfield options, while Luis Sinisterra may be an unknown commodity but has the potential to take the Premier League by storm.

It should also be noted that injuries impacted the Yorkshire outfit badly last season, with their nine teenage debutants setting a new league record.

Surely they can’t be so unfortunate on the fitness front again? Although their early issues at left-back this summer do give cause for concern and may force them back into the market to strengthen.

Predicted XI 🔮

(4-2-3-1) – Meslier; Kristensen, Koch, Struijk, Firpo; Adams, Roca; Harrison, Aaronson, Sinisterra; Bamford.

Where will they finish? 🏆

Premier League: 15th FA Cup: Fourth round Carabao Cup: Quarter-finals

Click here to see all of our season previews so far.