Leeds United are set to open their Premier League campaign at Elland Road against David Moyes’ Everton, with both sides still incredibly active within the transfer market.
The visitors are close to announcing the signing of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea for a fee reported to be around £28 million, and Leeds are far from finished in the market themselves.
Leeds have finalised seven deals so far this window, and have recently been linked with moves for attacking personnel, with Rodrigo Muniz remaining a major target for the Whites.
Yet with Isaac Schmidt set to join Werder Bremen on loan, Leeds are left with only Sam Byram to cover either full-back position, with a single injury possibly hindering the chances of the club staying up this season.
Full-back cover, alongside further names in the attacking third, should be Daniel Farke’s biggest priority, and one ex-England international could provide the answer.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles could be the utility man that Leeds United and Daniel Farke need to survive this season
The financial woes at Lyon have not fully dissipated, and Leeds United could sign a second player from the French outfit following the arrival of Lucas Perri earlier in the window.
Along with several other Premier League sides, Leeds have been offered the chance to sign Maitland-Niles, and the Englishman could be the answer to worries about the depth of Leeds’ full-back positions.
The former Arsenal man can operate in either full-back role, with the additional ability to move into central midfield should injuries occur.
The Englishman has received huge praise from Mikel Arteta when a member of his Arsenal squad, with the Spaniard describing him as a “huge talent” and someone who could “adapt to almost any position on the pitch”.
Squad depth is essential to survive in the Premier League, and Farke could look into a cut-price deal for Maitland-Niles as a sure-fire way of bolstering the defensive numbers in his Leeds squad.
| Season | Appearances (All competition) | Goals | Assists |
| 2024/25 | 44 | 1 | 7 |
| 2023/24 | 29 | 2 | 4 |
| 2022/23 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
Signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles could deal Everton a blow prior to opening day kick off against Leeds United
Everton are another club strongly pursuing Maitland-Niles and view the Englishman as a perfect utility man for their squad, which has seen little change over the summer.
David Moyes admitted that he doesn’t believe his side is “ready to start the new season”, and if Leeds could steal the full-back from the Merseyside club, this could further harm their preparation.
With 95 appearances in his last three campaigns, Maitland-Niles is a steady footballer who has seen little to no injuries since departing Arsenal and would aid either Moyes or Farke in gaining the edge going into the opening fixture.
Leeds will be pushing to start the campaign strongly, as they have tough fixtures against Arsenal and Newcastle following their game against Everton.
A win on the opening day could give a real boost in confidence to either side and likely put the club one step ahead in a potential relegation battle between the two clubs.