Leeds United's stunning team they could name today had they kept their best players | OneFootball

FLW outline a possible Leeds United XI without any significant sales in the last decade.

Leeds United have had some outstanding players in their history, with recent years also showcasing plenty of quality as well, especially during their most recent stint in the Premier League.

Daniel Farke and Marcelo Bielsa's tenures stand out as the most significant and exciting over the last decade. Leeds' current boss is looking to emulate the good work of Bielsa from a little over four years ago by securing a promotion back to the Premier League with Leeds at the second time of asking.

Unlike Bielsa, Farke has inherited a particularly strong group of players, with many remaining with the club following their relegation. Bielsa, meanwhile, was tasked with securing a return to English football's top-flight for the first time in over 16 years.

After coming so close in 2018/19 and crashing out of the play-offs, Bielsa's side won the league in spectacular fashion. Farke himself is no stranger to a Championship title win, having already won two of them with Norwich City, although his first season with the club ended in similar fashion last season.

Most of Leeds' best campaigns and players in recent memory started during Bielsa's years of managing the club in 2018. Leeds finished third, first, and ninth during his three full seasons in charge. Meanwhile, Farke guided them to third last season and is aiming to go one better this season through automatic promotion.

Hence, the majority of Leeds' best XI over the last 10 years is made up of players from those eras. Here, we take a look at the team they could name today if they had retained all of their star men. Would you make any changes?

GK: Elia Caprile

Illan Meslier has played more games during the last decade to any other goalkeeper to come through at Leeds, with Elia Caprile having never made a first-team appearance. However, the development and trajectory of both goalkeepers since makes it hard to overlook the Italian.

He has performed well with SSC Bari, with the 23-year-old then earning a move to one of Italy's most famous clubs in Serie A giants Napoli last summer, but he was loaned out to Empoli immediately. He has impressed for each of the Serie A sides and is undoubtedly a player who belongs in the top-flight.

RB: Archie Gray

Jayden Bogle may well be a better fit for Leeds' right-back role under Farke, but Archie Gray is the superior all-round footballer and will go on to have a vastly greater career overall. The 18-year-old is a better midfielder than a full-back, but in this particular team, he would be right at home down the right flank.

Leeds would no doubt have loved to have kept Gray this summer, but his hefty price-tag signifies the quality he possesses, as well as his potential. The academy product was a player to build the side around for years to come, but missing out on promotion was always likely to have lasting repercussions.

CB: Ben White

Ben White is the best centre-back that the club has had since the days of Rio Ferdinand, Lucas Radebe, and Jonathan Woodgate during the early 2000s, and arguably the club's greatest ever loan signing. His talent level is now shown on the greatest stages of all, having developed into a regular for a Champions League side in Arsenal.

His composure and quality both in and out of possession made him an absolute Rolls-Royce for the Whites during Bielsa’s promotion-winning campaign. Leeds attempted to sign him after their promotion, but failed in their attempts for the Brighton loanee. Things could have been very different if they had secured his services that summer in 2020.

CB: Pascal Struijk

A far more difficult decision is to be made for the other centre-back. However, Pascal Struijk’s consistency and form this season can’t be ignored, and nor can his development under Bielsa and Farke. Joe Rodon is unlucky to miss out, but the Dutchman has been outstanding this season.

Outside this season so far, Struijk's best form came during the 2020/2021 season when he was forced into action due to persistent issues hampering the likes of Liam Cooper, Robin Koch, and Diego Llorente. He slotted in and hasn’t looked back despite dipping in form between Bielsa and Farke’s managerial tenures.

LB: Junior Firpo

Left-back is perhaps the position with the fewest currently active players to choose from, with Leeds having very little luck there in recent memory. Of course, Stuart Dallas was once so impressive under Bielsa, but he has since retired. It leaves just Junior Firpo and Charlie Taylor as options to pick from.

Firpo's 2024 form and quality makes him a no-brainer. Leeds are finally seeing the player on a consistent basis that they believed they had secured from Barcelona in the summer of 2020. His ability to contribute to the build-up phase and regularly supply goal contributions makes him invaluable for Farke currently.

CDM: Kalvin Phillips

No best XI featuring players from the Bielsa era at Leeds could be without one of his most talismanic figures, which Kalvin Phillips absolutely was for Leeds. The caveat here is that his form and quality is not what it once was. However, remaining at Leeds, where he played his best football of his career, would no doubt be getting more out of him in this alternative universe.

Lewis Cook, who is another academy graduate, is unfortunate to miss out. But Phillips' best at Leeds saw him dominate games. Having looked like he may not have a future with the club, Bielsa transformed him into the best holding midfielder in the division over two seasons, and Phillips continued to impress following promotion as well.

CDM: Ethan Ampadu

Ethan Ampadu is now Leeds' captain and arguably their best player. He is similar to Phillips in many ways, not just positionally. The linchpin and key defensive player in Farke’s current set up, much like Phillips, he has surpassed the lofty expectations of many fans over the last couple of seasons.

His consistent performances have made him one of the best players in Leeds’ team and one of the Championship’s best performers as well. If they are to gain promotion, Ampadu will be absolutely essential to it. He captains the team currently and would be the captain in another universe alongside all of these other current and ex-Leeds stars.

RW: Raphinha

The best player to have turned out at Elland Road in the last 15 years (maybe even longer) is Raphinha. He single-handedly won the side many points during Bielsa’s first season with the club, and was crucial in keeping his side in the division even after Bielsa left in 2022.

The Brazilian left Leeds fans in awe at the quality and consistency of his performances and gained his move to Barcelona on merit. He was an archetypal Bielsa winger, combining sheer quality in possession and on the counter with an intense work rate off the ball as well. That has translated well with the Spanish giants, and he is now one of the best wingers, and indeed the best players, in the world.

CAM: Georginio Rutter

Few players have been to emulate Raphinha's flair and magic to any sort of extent, but one who showed glimpses of that quality is Georginio Rutter. His mercurial nature meant he was superb in attack for Farke last season, and it could be argued that he was their most crucial player in the final third this season due to his creativity and invention.

His direct style of dribbling and eye for a pass made him unplayable at his best, which is why Brighton were willing to activate his release clause in the summer. Had Leeds been promoted, they could have continued to enjoy the Frenchman's quality and seen him develop even further into a real superstar.

Finishing off a frankly outrageous looking line of three behind the striker, Crysencio Summerville has earned his place after plenty of match-winning moments last season. The Dutchman was arguably the best attacker in the Championship under Farke and won the Player of the Year in the Championship.

Having impressed in flashes in the Premier League, there was always a chance he could explode last season, but not many would have expected him to become as key as he has been. Summerville would have been a vital part of the team had they been promoted at Wembley, but his individual brilliance sees him pip Willy Gnonto to the left-wing role in this team.

CF: Chris Wood

Leeds have a habit of some of their very best players in recent memory being No.9s. Chris Wood has some stiff competition from the likes of Rodrigo, Patrick Bamford, and even Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph. However, if we are looking at the current ability of each player, then it’s hard to argue with Wood’s record in the Premier League.

Since leaving Leeds, he has scored regular goals for the likes of Burnley and now Nottingham Forest. Losing him in 2017 was a blow, but even more so now, having seen what he has gone on to become. Had Leeds kept him, they may have reached the top table of English football sooner.