Leeds United are looking to break the recent curse of promoted teams being relegated from the Premier League next season, with the last six promoted teams having all come down after just one season.
Leicester City stormed towards the Championship title last season. They were one of the best teams that the league has ever seen, albeit showing some mixed form towards the end as they finished on 97 points.
But the Foxes have come crashing back down. The club is in a mess and it looks like they could now be toiling in the Championship for some years to come, nine years after they won the Premier League title.
It’s a sign of how difficult it’s become for Championship clubs to assert themselves in the top flight. But Daniel Farke’s Leeds United side look ready to give it a good go, moving up to the top flight on the back of a 100-point season and having signed some exciting new players already.
Leeds United have signed Jaka Bijol in a £15million deal from Udinese. He’s the marquee signing so far, joined by Lukas Nmecha, and with Sebastiaan Bornauw looking set to join Leeds in the coming days.
How many points do Leeds United need to beat Premier League relegation?
There’s never a set amount of points needed to beat the drop. But there’s definitely a pattern occurring: over the last 10 years, the average amount of points accumulated by the 17th placed team has been exactly 37. So for Farke, that should be the minimum points target for next season.
In the 2021/22 season, Leeds United were the team that finished in 17th and with a point total of 38 to their name.
In the last 10 seasons, the highest amount of points racked up by the 17th place side was 40 by Watford. The lowest amount was Nottingham Forest with 32 in the 2023/24 season, but even then they beat the drop by six points.
| Season | Points tally of the 17th place team |
| 24/25 | 38 |
| 23/24 | 32 |
| 22/23 | 36 |
| 21/22 | 38 |
| 20/21 | 39 |
| 19/20 | 35 |
| 18/19 | 36 |
| 17/18 | 36 |
| 16/17 | 40 |
| 15/16 | 39 |
| 14/15 | 38 |
How many points are needed for a top half finish?
Whilst beating the drop with likely be the first and foremost priority for Leeds United in their first season back in the top flight, there will be some behind the scenes at Elland Road aiming slightly higher.
The 49ers want Leeds United to achieve top half within five years, and that’s certainly doable, although the number of points achieved by the 10th place team over the last 10 years has fluctuated between 44 and 59.
The average number of points gained by the 10th place team over the last 10 seasons in the Premier League is 50.9 which is just four wins more than the average points needed for a 17th place finish.
Though for Leeds and any other team in the Premier League, four wins is a lot and can count for so much in the end.
| Season | Points tally of the 10th place team |
| 24/25 | 56 |
| 23/24 | 49 |
| 22/23 | 52 |
| 21/22 | 51 |
| 20/21 | 59 |
| 19/20 | 54 |
| 18/19 | 52 |
| 17/18 | 44 |
| 16/17 | 45 |
| 15/16 | 50 |
| 14/15 | 48 |
The Whites’ pre-season fixtures get underway in July. Leeds United play Man United in a friendly match on July 19th which is their first scheduled friendly, with matches also lined up against Villarreal and AC Milan.
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