Leeds United manager Daniel Farke will address journalists shortly ahead of Saturday’s first Premier League match of the campaign at Nottingham Forest.
The club has had a solid pre-season preparation, acquiring four new signings with three anticipated to begin the fixture. The fourth addition, Nico Elvedi, joined on Wednesday and may feature in the matchday squad. The Yorkshire outfit expect further transfer activity before the window closes.
The away side will encounter a side under new management with Oliver Glasner taking charge, as supporters at the City Ground anticipate the encounter.
The club faces several fitness problems, notably involving Wilfried Gnonto and Gabriel Gudmundsson. Gnonto is uncertain for the fixture due to a hamstring complaint while Gudmundsson’s muscular leg injury is anticipated to keep him out of Saturday’s game and potentially the following week’s encounter.
Following this morning’s announcement that Jayden Bogle committed his future until 2030, the right-back’s previous contract was set to conclude in 2028. The club moved swiftly to extend his terms to prevent a scenario where he would enter the final year of his deal next summer and attract attention from other clubs.
Ethan Ampadu also put pen to paper on fresh terms in June, with all three players forming a vital part of the squad’s backbone.
The major uncertainty surrounds Gnonto, who Farke flagged as a concern last weekend. He sat out the friendly triumph against Augsburg with a hamstring problem, with no specific timeline for his return though optimism exists he would recover soon.
The biggest setback is Gudmundsson’s hamstring complaint, which will sideline him this weekend and potentially for the initial home match against Brentford. Ilia Gruev rejoined full training last week after undergoing knee surgery in April while Lucas Perri continues his recovery from a thigh problem ahead of an expected loan move.
Leeds must register Elvedi by Friday afternoon and will have completed all documentation upon his official signing. The defender completed a full pre-season programme with Borussia Monchengladbach so arrives match-fit. However, the English top flight presents a different challenge to the German Bundesliga. The centre-back will need to adapt to Farke’s methods, though he previously worked under the manager during the 2022/23 campaign at Gladbach. Should he feature, he is likely to operate in the central position of a three-man defence.
Leeds United have officially announced Elvedi as their fourth summer acquisition, with the defender agreeing terms until 2028. An initial fee of £6.8m (€8m) will be paid, with a further £1.7m (€2m) possible through performance-related clauses. The transfer takes the club’s summer spending to approximately £80m, with net expenditure marginally exceeding £50m. The 73-cap Switzerland international directly replaces Sebastiaan Bornauw, who departed for Hamburg. The club had reached an agreement with the German side but ensured they secured a replacement before authorising the sale.
This marks the first pre-match press conference of the 2026/27 campaign. Few predicted a 14th-placed finish and an FA Cup semi-final run 12 months ago. However, the club remain grounded, viewing survival as a respectable accomplishment. Nevertheless, ambitions include pushing higher up the table with a top-ten finish within reach, though European competition may prove premature.
Four fresh faces have arrived so far, with Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic and James Trafford all poised for their first competitive appearances.