Leeds United dominated the Championship, accumulating 100 points on the way to winning the title, but next season will be a different animal.
The Premier League is becoming tougher with each passing season, as England’s top-flight almost begins to turn into an exclusive club, where the three promoted sides find survival harder to achieve compared to years gone by.
Just look at how badly the likes of Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton struggled this term.
| Position | Team | Played MP |
Won W |
Drawn D |
Lost L |
For GF |
Against GA |
Diff GD |
Points Pts |
| 18 |  |
37 | 6 | 7 | 24 | 33 | 78 | -45 | 25 |
| 19 |  |
37 | 4 | 10 | 23 | 35 | 79 | -44 | 22 |
| 20 |  |
37 | 2 | 6 | 29 | 25 | 84 | -59 | 12 |
Therefore, smart recruitment is a must for Leeds United, and a player Daniel Farke wanted last summer is now available in Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
Leeds United can now sign Jesurun Rak-Sakyi after 2024 pursuit
Alan Nixon claimed on his Patreon back in August 2024 that Leeds United made a £15m bid for the England U21 international, competing against Southampton and Sheffield United for his signature.
Crystal Palace rejected the offer, and Rak-Sakyi eventually opted to join Sheffield United on loan for the 2024/25 campaign, but did appreciate that he rejected a “big club” in Leeds United.
Sheffield United take the lead against Plymouth Argyle thanks to a wonderful effort from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4JhT1zXP9t
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) April 12, 2025
The 22-year-old told the Sheffield Star: “My agent made me aware of the interest from them (Leeds) and I knew it was a big club, but the manager here [Chris Wilder] spoke to me and I was really impressed with what he said and the plans he had for me, so that made me decide to come here.”
Now, however, the News Shopper are claiming that Crystal Palace are ready to sell Rak-Sakyi, news which should alert Farke, who could actually be replaced at Elland Road.
The Eagles are preparing to bolster their squad after their FA Cup win saw them qualify for the Europa League, and selling an academy graduate in Rak-Sakyi would go down as 100% profit in terms of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
The one telling sign that Crystal Palace made this decision as early as January
During the winter transfer window, Crystal Palace spent £14.5m to sign Romain Esse from south London rivals Millwall, a player who tends to cut inside from the right flank into his stronger left foot, similarly to how Rak-Sakyi plays the game.
🎙️ “Look at that finish!”
😅 That’s one way to open up your #Millwall account, Rom… pic.twitter.com/ElTJuUJbku
— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) August 6, 2023
This move strongly suggested that Crystal Palace made the decision to sell their academy graduate as early as January, or else they would have surely refrained from signing Esse, and simply waited for the Sheffield United loanee to return to SE25 in the summer.
