MOT Leeds News

Brenden Aaronson surely wouldn’t have started for Leeds United against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday had Noah Okafor been fit.

The 25-year-old American was benched in the 3-1 win against Burnley at Elland Road after some underwhelming performances in recent weeks.

Eddie Riemer revealed that Okafor picked up a calf injury ahead of the Whites’ trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 11 May and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him miss out.

As a result, Aaronson will surely hope to get back to the starting lineup and give a lifeline to show Daniel Farke why he should continue to rely on him.

Leeds can secure Premier League safety if West Ham United lose to Arsenal on 10 May at London Stadium, but the West Yorkshire outfit will nonetheless be looking to make a statement in North London.

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Brenden Aaronson plays for Leeds United future vs Tottenham

There’s no doubt Aaronson has been a key player for Farke this season, but the American needs to do better to ensure that he continues to play a pivotal role in the future.

The Whites will surely be looking to strengthen their squad in the upcoming transfer window and the 25-year-old attacking-midfielder needs to put himself in a position at Elland Road where he’s untouchable.

Aaronson’s numbers in the Premier League have stagnated, failing to score in any of the last 14 matches.

The German manager may trust the USMNT international for now, but as he’s shown with Joel Piroe this season, anyone at the West Yorkshire outfit can be considered surplus to requirements.

Brenden Aaronson must be wary at Elland Road

Facundo Buonanotte’s future seems away from Leeds after struggling for game time since moving on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion in January.

The Whites are looking for a new number 10 ahead of the upcoming transfer window, leaving Aaronson to contend with more competition for a place in the starting lineup.

While the American star has enjoyed regular minutes in the Premier League, his prospects could potentially diminish with further attacking additions in the Whites’ squad.

Farke will surely want to make multiple additions up front in the summer, which will surely leave question marks over Aaronson’s future.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to strengthen their survival chances on Monday, as they welcome Leeds United to North London.

The travelling Whites have been fantastic since returning from the international break last month, and could see their own survival secured this weekend if Arsenal beat West Ham.

Both sides are in good form ahead of Monday’s bout, with Spurs picking up successive wins against Wolves and Aston Villa, while Leeds have won three of their last four.

Aiming to end the season on a high, Daniel Farke‘s side are looking to continue the run against a Spurs side surging under Roberto De Zerbi.

However, the West Yorkshire outfit are set to face a stern test in North London after the latest prediction from Opta’s supercomputer.

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Tottenham favourites to overcome Leeds

Winning 3-1 against Burnley last time out, Leeds did the job once again as they fight for survival.

With a comfortable gap to West Ham in the bottom three, the match against Spurs could well be a bonus for the Whites, though they will absolutely be chasing victory.

Monday’s clash could be tough for Leeds, with Opta’s supercomputer handing the hosts a 50.9 per cent chance of taking all three points – a testament to the uptick in Tottenham form across recent weeks.

With this in mind, the Whites are given a 26.7 per cent chance of taking victory, closer to the 22.4 per cent likelihood of a draw than the figure allocated to Spurs.

However, Leeds will be hopeful they can remain comfortable in the standings, with a keen eye on Sunday.

Leeds’ survival likely to be confirmed early

Heading into Monday, the chances are that Premier League football could well be secured before a ball has been kicked.

Before the international break, the Whites had slipped, with a string of draws dragging them back into trouble.

Since then, Farke’s side have stepped up, with an excellent run putting them on the brink of survival.

With West Ham hosting league leaders Arsenal on Sunday, Leeds fans will be paying close attention, with a win for the Gunners securing their spot in the top flight.

And looking ahead to the weekend, this could well be set to happen, with the supercomputer odds against the Hammers, who have been handed a small 19.3 per cent chance of beating the title chasers.

Leeds are set for a tough test under the lights on Monday, but this time around they aren’t set to be dragged back into trouble.

Alan Shearer can’t see past a Tottenham Hotspur win against Leeds United in the Premier League on Monday.

The Premier League icon has predicted Roberto De Zerbi’s team to get the three points at home as they welcome the Whites to N17 on 11 May.

Shearer saw enough from the North London club in their 2-1 win over Aston Villa to determine that they’ll avoid relegation from the English top flight this season.

As for the West Yorkshire outfit, the former striker is fascinated by the prospect of them having a big say in whether West Ham United or Tottenham go down.

Daniel Farke’s team travel to London Stadium on the final day of the campaign and the coming weeks will certainly be an intriguing watch for the neutrals.

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Leeds United can secure Premier League safety before kick-off vs Tottenham

Writing in the Metro on 8 May, Shearer said, “Leeds are going to play a huge part in who gets relegated, because they play both Spurs and West Ham. It’s fascinating, but I think with what I saw from Spurs last week, they may just have enough now to stay up. And I guess with the energy that they showed the other day, I think they’ll have enough to beat Leeds at home. Spurs to win.”

If West Ham lose against Arsenal at the weekend, Leeds will be mathematically safe from relegation.

At the moment, the Whites are seven points clear of 18th place with three games to go in the English top flight.

Mikel Arteta’s team are gunning for the title and can’t slip up anymore with Manchester City giving them a slight advantage.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hammers lose at home to Arsenal, and if that happens, the mood around LS11 will be jubilant, as Farke’s main objective at the start of the season surely would have been to ensure the West Yorkshire outfit secure their Premier League status.

Daniel Farke can’t take foot off the gas at Elland Road

Leeds still have a lot to play for in the Premier League after avoiding relegation, with the prize money for winning further up the table significantly higher.

Last season, the difference between the money received by the teams that finished 14th and 10th was around £10million.

While the Whites can be safe going into the Tottenham game, Farke shouldn’t let the joy at Elland Road get in the way of the additional prize money.

The West Yorkshire outfit can count this campaign as a success, but supporters in LS11 certainly expect bigger and better things from them down the line.

Leeds United‘s Sean Longstaff has been sidelined for most of 2026, but that will surely change against Tottenham on Monday.

The Whites signed the midfielder for Newcastle United in the summer, and split the opinions of fans in the early parts of the season.

Daniel Farke has started the likes of Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, and even Ilia Gruev in midfield in recent weeks, but Longstaff can’t seem to get a look in.

The 28-year-old netted a dramatic equaliser off the bench against Bournemouth last month, yet still hasn’t been handed a start since.

Leeds will travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face Spurs next in the Premier League, and Longstaff’s performance in the reverse fixture cannot be ignored by Farke.

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Sean Longstaff was brilliant vs Tottenham last time

Leeds lost 2-1 to Thomas Frank’s Tottenham earlier in the season, but a lot has changed for both sides since then.

Farke went from being on the brink of the sack not long after the defeat to turning things around in no time, while Tottenham sacked both Igor Tudor and Frank, while also hiring Roberto De Zerbi since the last meeting.

Longstaff’s last start in the Premier League came in November’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa, and it’s fair to say that he needed to be dropped.

However, as seen in the table above, the Englishman was on top form last time out against the Lilywhites.

He created five chances, including one big opportunity, and earned a 7.1 FotMob rating, which only Noah Okafor scored better with for Leeds with a score of 7.8.

The Whites have played lots of games recently, and it feels like Farke could throw De Zerbi off with Longstaff’s inclusion, as his set-piece ability could be a weapon to target Tottenham’s biggest weakness.

Daniel Farke should drop Ao Tanaka for Longstaff

As mentioned, Farke has been relying on Tanaka in recent weeks, and the Japanese star has somewhat taken his chance in the absence of Anton Stach.

However, Stach’s return gives Farke food for thought, especially considering the fact that Tanaka may want to leave Elland Road in the summer based on recent links.

Leeds have all but confirmed their Premier League survival, and a win over Tottenham would do the trick, but Farke needs to plan for the future at the same time.

Regardless, Longstaff is a genuine option that should be on the thoughts of the Leeds boss, as it would be a shame not to see him start another game this season.

Leeds United fans celebrated Friday’s 3-1 win over Burnley as though it was the result that had sealed Premier League survival.

In truth, the wins over Manchester United and Wolves, or indeed the battling 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, also felt just as significant.

Daniel Farke‘s men found themselves nine points clear of the bottom three on the back of that latest win over already-relegated Burnley.

Yet the job is not yet done after Tottenham’s 2-1 win away at a heavily rotated Aston Villa side to conclude the weekend’s action.

And that means Leeds still have work to do as they face a big showdown away at Tottenham up next in the Premier League.

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Leeds could officially seal survival next weekend

The good news for Leeds fans is that only a pretty disastrous set of results would send the Whites straight back down.

The one issue, though, is that it is Tottenham up next, meaning a six-pointer. If Leeds were to lose that game at a pumped-up Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, things could get interesting.

However, that would also require West Ham picking up a point against leaders Arsenal in their next outing.

If the worst was the happen and Leeds failed to win any of their three remaining matches – against Spurs, Brighton and then West Ham – plus the teams below them all pick up adequate points, the Whites would make Premier League history.

They would go down with 43 points, which is one more than the record held by West Ham in 2002-03 for the most by a relegated team in a 38-game campaign.

Realistically, however, Farke’s men can finally crack open the bubbly next weekend before even kicking a ball in their Monday night fixture at Spurs.

Could goal difference come into the relegation equation?

In a word: yes. Again, should West Ham and Spurs do the improbable and climb up to 43 points – and this is not even factoring in Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace’s results – things would get really interesting.

As things stand, Leeds are 14 goals better off than West Ham in terms of the goal difference and four better off than Tottenham.

So even if those disastrous set of results play out, Leeds also have that working in their favour right now.

The aim is to ensure things do not get nervy, and hopefully this will not even be a topic of conversation this time next week.

Willy Gnonto has thanked Georginio Rutter for his exploits in Brighton’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham, which aided Leeds United in their survival battle.

The former Whites attacker stunned the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the final stages of their clash on Saturday evening to rescue a point.

Spurs would take the lead with just over 10 minutes of normal time remaining through a superb Xavi Simons strike, before Rutter found the back of the net in the 95th minute, keeping the Lilywhites in the relegation zone for another week.

On the same day, Daniel Farke’s Leeds extended their gap to the drop zone and Spurs to eight points, with goals from James Justin, Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin securing a 3-0 win against Wolves.

The West Yorkshire outfit are in fine form heading into the run-in, with their Premier League survival now all but sealed.

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Leeds thankful as Brighton stun Tottenham

At the start of the week, Farke’s men gained serious momentum with a 2-1 win away at rivals Manchester United on Monday.

Looking to follow this up on home soil, they would boss Wolves at Elland Road, extending the gap to nine points ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Brighton.

And with Rutter’s late strike, Spurs would miss the chance to drag themselves out of the drop zone, while their gap to Leeds now sits at eight points, leaving West Ham and Nottingham Forest as the sides they will be aiming to catch.

The French attacker took to Instagram in celebration, prompting a response from Whites wideman Gnonto, who said “Merci,” with a heart to go with.

Alongside this, former promotion hero Stuart Dallas joined in on the fun, describing the situation as “absolutely marvellous,” with a prayer emoji, alongside a blue and yellow heart, outlining his love for the Elland Road club in the process.

Joining Leeds in 2023, the 23-year-old would score eight times and lay on 16 assists as Farke’s side reached the 2023-24 playoff final, before making the move to Brighton as a result of the final loss to Southampton.

Leeds can play without fear with safety within touching distance

Following a poor string of draws heading into the international break, Leeds have responded fantastically.

Throughout that run, the Whites were picking up points, but were playing within themselves after an excellent run at the turn of the year.

Little by little, the gap to the bottom three reduced, while Farke’s side were dragged back into the battle.

Though, since the return from the international window, they have burst into life again.

At Old Trafford on Monday, the visitors from West Yorkshire delivered a stunning performance to put them back on track for survival.

The Wolves win has only strengthened these chances, with another season in the Premier League now within touching distance for Farke.

After a string of results, Leeds can now play without fear heading into a crucial FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, as they look to end what has been a fantastic season on a high.

Leeds United are not understood to have included a sell-on clause in Archie Gray’s summer 2024 transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs and Leeds are both embroiled in the Premier League relegation battle, as the season begins to draw towards a dramatic conclusion.

Daniel Farke’s side have been in frustrating form recently, with no league win in their last six, with four draws and two defeats in that time period.

Tottenham meanwhile are potentially writing one of, if not the most, remarkable relegation stories English’s top flight has ever seen.

If that was to happen, however, Leeds wouldn’t be rubbing their hands together at the thought of a potential Gray-sized financial boost.

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Why Leeds United won’t benefit from future Archie Gray sale

Gray could haunt Leeds when they play Tottenham on 9 May, as by that point of the season, the result of the game may have a very big, and possibly even final say, on the Premier League futures of both teams.

That is the third-last game of the campaign, with Spurs away at Chelsea and at home to Everton after that, whilst Leeds host Brighton at Elland Road and then travel to West Ham on the final day respectively.

Leeds will naturally hope that isn’t the case with Gray, as the 20-year-old is still a well-liked figure among the Elland Road faithful, both for his service to the club, and for his familial ties to the Whites.

As such, his summer 2024 move to Tottenham was a painful one for many Leeds fans, as it was revealed that Spurs had triggered a release clause in his contract, leaving them powerless to stop him from making the move to N17.

And, as reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post at the time, there is understood to be no sell-on clause for Leeds involved in that deal, meaning any future sale by Spurs wouldn’t see the Whites take a slice of the pie.

Therefore, if there were some Leeds supporters hoping to see Tottenham go down to increase the likelihood of a Gray sale, and thus bring a cash injection into Elland Road, then they no longer need to.

Where would Gray fit into the current Leeds team?

One of Gray’s undoubted top attributes is his versatility, as he’s capable of playing anywhere across the defence and in central midfield.

He’s continued to do exactly that for Tottenham this season, but had Spurs not snatched him away from Elland Road, where might he be turning out in Farke’s current Whites side?

A defensive midfielder by trade, the middle of the park is perhaps where Leeds are strongest this season, with the likes of Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach, Ao Tanaka and Ilia Gruev all quality options.

Therefore, it’s perhaps at right-back/right-wing back where he would be playing, as despite Jayden Bogle having a solid season, he doesn’t have that star quality that Gray does, but would provide an excellent cover option.

Archie Gray will only increase his standing among the Leeds fanbase after his latest comments.

Leeds sold Gray to Tottenham in 2024 in a £40million deal, to ease Profit and Sustainability concerns at Elland Road.

Supporters were gutted when the academy graduate left, as he was seen as one of the most promising talents in LS11, for years.

He constantly talks about the Whites, which makes sense as the Gray family is heavily associated with the Yorkshire club.

Archie Gray labels Patrick Bamford’s Leeds goal as the best he has ever seen

Gray‘s Tottenham teammate, Micky van de Ven, scored one of the goals of the season in the Champions League clash with Copenhagen on 4 November.

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After that strike, he was asked what the best goal that he had ever seen live was, and he did not pick the Dutchman’s wonderful effort.

Instead, he went with Patrick Bamford‘s strike for the Whites in the 3-0 FA Cup win over Peterborough United in the 2023-24 season, in a move that will only make Leeds fans’ love for him grow even more.

In a video posted on Tottenham’s official X account on 7 November, he said: “Patrick Bamford vs Peterborough, FA Cup, I think. Had the ball in our half, Ethan Ampadu played a long ball.

“Patrick Bamford took it down on his chest, it went up, and he smashed it into the top corner. That was really good wasn’t it.”

Leeds fans may have another concern about Gray shortly

Peacocks’ supporters may have another Gray to worry about in the near future.

Archie’s brother, Harry Gray, is emerging as a contender for a place in the first-team squad under Daniel Farke.

The 18-year-old recently signed a new contract with the Whites, but there is significant interest expected in his services from clubs like Tottenham and Manchester City.

The 49ers Enterprises group must ensure that the side are still in the top-flight, they keep the finances steady, and that Gray gets opportunities, otherwise he may be forced to move elsewhere, like his older sibling.

They will hope that history does not repeat itself, and he does not depart like Archie did, leaving fans devastated once again.

Every word Wayne Rooney said about Leeds on Match of the Day after loss vs Tottenham – One player ‘should do better’

Leeds’ year-long unbeaten run at home in the league came to an end on Saturday when they were beaten 2-1 at Elland Road by Tottenham Hotspur.

Mohammed Kudus’ 57th-minute strike was enough for Spurs to take all three points against Leeds, who battled well throughout the 90 minutes as Storm Amy hit West Yorkshire.

Jayden Bogle shone despite Leeds’ loss to Tottenham, while Noah Okafor scored his second Premier League goal of the season.

Unfortunately for Leeds, Tottenham’s quality was too much for Daniel Farke‘s defence to handle and Wayne Rooney largely believes that the Whites manager will be happy with the overall performance against last season’s Europa League champions.

Wayne Rooney has his say on all of Leeds’ big chances vs Tottenham

Both Joe Rodon and Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed big chances for Leeds as they lost to Thomas Frank’s Spurs side on Saturday afternoon.

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Rodon struck the post with a header early on, while Calvert-Lewin had multiple opportunities in front of goal for Leeds to seize at least a point at Elland Road.

Farke admitted after the game that Leeds missed too many chances in the game.

Former Manchester United star Rooney rued those missed chances while reacting to the footage of highlights from Leeds’ loss.

“Leeds were very unlucky to come away with no points,” Rooney said on Match of the Day on Saturday night. “I thought they created some good chances but they just weren’t clinical enough.

“We see here, early on, Rodon comes around the back, it’s a good ball and it’s a good header and he’s unlucky not to score.

“There’s really good pressure on the ball, they win the ball back high but Calvert-Lewin just can’t get the ball out of his feet and it’s not a great shot and he should do better.

“Again, here, I like this from Calvert-Lewin. He’s always occupying the back line. The first pass doesn’t come when maybe it should but he carries on to be a threat in the box.

“It’s a really good first touch and he’s unlucky with the shot.

“This is what we know Calvert-Lewin can do in the air – he’s a presence. There’s a really good chance and an excellent save.

“I think Daniel Farke will be really happy with the performance. They played well. They created chances but they just weren’t clinical enough.”

Wayne Rooney also responds to Gabby Logan’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin question

After Rooney finished his overall verdict on the game, Match of the Day host Gabby Logan specifically asked him about Calvert-Lewin.

Since joining Leeds on a free transfer in the summer following his release by Everton, the 28-year-old has scored once in six appearances and started each of Leeds’ last four Premier League games.

Part of the battle for him has been avoiding injury and staying fit.

And Rooney believes that if Calvert-Lewin does that, he can be a real asset for Farke going forward.

He said: “We all know Calvert-Lewin is a good player and the biggest issue has been keeping him fit.

“He’s started his career at Leeds well, he’s creating chances and if he stays fit, he’s a handful for any defender.”

Leeds now don’t have a game until 18 October when they head to Turf Moor to face Burnley, who were promoted alongside them from the Championship last season.

After that, West Ham will be welcomed to Elland Road on 24 October to see out the month.

How to watch today’s Leeds United vs Tottenham Premier League game: TV channel and kick-off time

Leeds United are back in action at Elland Road as Tottenham travel to West Yorkshire on Saturday.

Leeds face fourth-place Tottenham, with a chance to draw level on points with their opponents with a win on home turf.

Daniel Farke has issued a rallying cry to his Leeds players ahead of the game, with the Whites unbeaten home record on the line.

Below, MOT Leeds News presents a guide on how to watch the game if you’re not travelling to Elland Road.

Leeds vs Tottenham kick-off time, TV channel and stream

Leeds are underdogs against Tottenham on Saturday, but will be confident of causing an upset, with the visitors fresh off a long journey in midweek to Norway.

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Tottenham have a good record against Leeds recently, winning the last four times the two have faced.

Farke‘s outfit, though, are in good form and won’t be daunted by the task ahead of them, with Spurs coming off the back of two uninspiring draws.

Leeds against Spurs is the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday, with the game getting underway at 12:30 pm BST.

Fans will be able to watch the game on TNT Sports 1 and stream it via discovery+.

Live radio commentary of the game will also be available on talkSPORT.

Leeds looking for first win against Tottenham in four years

Leeds have a really poor record against Tottenham recently, and are looking for their first win since May 2021.

Worryingly for the Whites, the last three games against Spurs have seen them concede four goals in all three games.

Leeds fans will not like the look of that record, especially after conceding five to the other North London club, Arsenal, earlier this season.

Saturday is a chance to rectify that, however, and Leeds will take confidence from their recent performances, and hope they can catch Spurs on the hop following their European exploits.