Sam Greenwood? The 3 Leeds United players that need to prove a point in pre-season or risk 2024/25 axe | OneFootball

FLW outline the 3 Leeds United players who will be most desperate to impress Daniel Farke in pre-season.

Leeds United are expected to be a strong side again in the 2024/25 Championship season, but there is plenty of work to do between now and the beginning of the campaign.

The Whites were unable to gain promotion at the first time of asking and face a tough summer period of rebuilding, with multiple players set to leave the club. They will need to replace key personnel who depart, especially those that were a major component of the reason they finished the season in third.

The Daily Mail has reported that the Whites may have to generate around £100 million in player sales following their failure to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. That's despite Red Bull's lucrative sponsorship deal with the club.

The Whites will be bracing themselves for a somewhat difficult transfer window, with plenty of interest expected in the young stars who took them to the cusp of promotion whilst cash flow and debts remain an issue.

Young stars such as Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto, and Archie Gray could be sold to help balance the books before the club can make significant investments of their own in the form of incoming players to the squad.

If Leeds can keep a core of a team together, then there remain players wanting to experience senior football or win game time elsewhere if they are struggling to get into Daniel Farke's plans consistently, and there are also those that will hope pre-season is the chance to impress the German.

Here, we take a look at those that will be hoping to make an impact in pre-season, to prove their worth to Leeds' chief.

Brenden Aaronson

Leeds attacker Brenden Aaronson has held positive talks with Farke and is expected to be a part of the club's promotion push next season.

Naturally, after exiting in such a manner last summer, the 23-year-old has work to do with the fanbase in getting them back onside, but has already put the groundwork in place to do so with a positive move in the right direction.

That's because The Athletic are reporting that Aaronson still had an active release clause in which he could have left on another loan again, and also had interest in Germany, but instead opted to return to Leeds. That's due to the fact that "the player feels he has unfinished business in England."

Truthfully, plenty of the players who struggled at Premier League level last season have looked like stars at second tier level for Leeds and Aaronson may well be no different, although he will have to do what Willy Gnonto managed, after the Italian's transfer request last summer.

That proves it is possible, even in spite of Aaronson's departure leaving bitter taste in some Leeds fans' mouths.

Now, should the former Salzburg midfielder return to West Yorkshire with the right attitude and a willingness to play for the club, he could shine in the second tier as a key component and genuine asset. Pre-season will be key for both Farke and the fans to see that Aaronson is in the right place to do that.

Sam Greenwood

According to The Athletic, Middlesbrough had a £1.5 million option to buy with Leeds as part of their loan agreement for Greenwood. They are not activating it, but it is a sign of Leeds' intent to sell the versatile attacking-midfielder.

He could also be loaned once again, but if the club are able to cash in, then they more than likely will as his immediate future looks to be in doubt in West Yorkshire.

His position is still one for debate as well. Is he a box-to-box midfielder, a creative number ten, a left-winger, or a striker? No one seems to know but his versatility may be seen as an asset and he could force his way back into Farke's plans if his attitude is similar to Aaronson's.

His career with Leeds has seen him play 35 games, but the 22-year-old could find a new home in the summer, should pre-season prove to be his last summer with the club.

Joe Gelhardt

Had Leeds achieved promotion through the Championship play-offs, Joe Gelhardt’s exit from the club would surely have been accelerated. This season, the 22-year-old has been cast out of the starting picture by Farke and has every right to feel hard done by.

Gelhardt's long-term future in West Yorkshire is unclear, with his development stalling over the last couple of seasons. However, there is talent there, and the club could be hoping for Gelhardt to force his way into Farke's thinking with the futures of multiple forwards up in the air this summer.

Gelhardt has reached a crossroads, and with three years left on his Leeds contract, it is paramount that he is either involved with the Whites or that a deal is struck in the upcoming transfer window to secure the forward first-team football next season, and to help him further realise his potential with regular second tier gametime, be that on loan or permanently.