Where Leeds United rank in the Championship's most high value teams | OneFootball

Leeds United are hoping to secure an immediate return to the Premier League this season with automatic promotion from the Championship a distinct possibility for Daniel Farke's side.

In part, that is due to Farke's coaching abilities, given that he has achieved promotion by winning the league during his last two campaigns at second tier level. However, the quality of his playing squad is not to be underestimated, either.

The Championship race for automatic promotion

With all three newly-promoted sides surviving in the Premier League during the 2022/23 campaign, it was Leicester City, Southampton, and the Whites who were relegated to the second tier.

A host of clubs in the Championship were always likely to be in the hunt for Premier League football by the end of the campaign, but that trio were, naturally, among the early favourites.

They came down with plenty of talented players, many of whom were not likely to be playing outside of a top-flight league this season, so they sought fresh pastures, but those that did remain have become among the best players in the second tier.

Those three are aided by the likes of parachute payments, more saleable assets, and higher expectations; therefore, it was always likely that they would compete at the top end of the division to bounce back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

The division was expected to be more competitive than ever this season, but the relegated trio are running away with things alongside Ipswich Town, and it looks certain that two of those four will be the sides to finish in the automatic promotion places.

Leeds may have seen top players in Rodrigo, Tyler Adams, Jack Harrison, Luis Sinisterra, and more depart, but brought in the required quality to be competitive, including big-money signings such as Ethan Ampadu, Joel Piroe, and Glen Kamara.

per Transfermarkt's estimates.

Unsurprisingly, the three relegated sides are way out in front in terms of the total MV (market value) of their respective squads. Leicester lead the way with their MV totalling €211 million, with Leeds just behind at €204.7 million, and Southampton still way out in front of fourth at €189.9 million.

The next highest club is Hull, who have a raft of Premier League loanees within their squad, such as Fabio Carvalho, Anass Zaroury, and Liam Delap; their MV is €104.8 million, which is the only other second tier side over the €100 million mark.

It highlights the strength of recently relegated teams and their competitive advantage over their Championship peers. Leeds' squad includes nine players with an MV of over €10 million: Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, Pascal Struijk, Illan Meslier, Wilfried Gnonto, Archie Gray, Ethan Ampadu, Dan James, and Joel Piroe.

Some of those names alone have a higher value than Rotherham United's entire squad, with Leeds dwarfing their Yorkshire rivals in that department. The Millers squad is the least valuable in the Championship, with estimates bringing their total to €14.75 million. Recently promoted Sheffield Wednesday have the second-lowest at €20.18 million.

Ipswich, one of the sides chasing automatic promotion alongside Leeds, have a total MV of €50.5 million, with Kieran McKenna doing a fantastic job for the Tractor Boys, and getting plenty out of a team ranked as the ninth-cheapest squad in the division.

One factor that helps Leeds out in terms of their MV, is that they have the fifth-youngest squad by average age in the second tier. Only Sunderland, Plymouth Argyle, Blackburn Rovers, and Swansea City have a lower average than Leeds' 24.8.