Leeds United

Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It is rare in the game to see a football playing family so deeply wedded across the generations to one club.

From Eddie and his brother Frank, to the latter's son Andy and his own two offspring in Archie and now Harry, the Gray dynasty is set to continue at Leeds United for a little longer at least.

The Cresswells, with father Richard and sons Charlie and now Alfie, may have a similar claim down the line but, as United manager Daniel Farke said, there is a special bond with the Grays.

"There's a big trust between not just Harry but his whole family and the club," the German said after it was announced that the 17-year-old had signed his first professional deal.

Credit to all parties for thrashing out a long-term contract for a player who is clearly sought after elsewhere but whose family will know the merit of him staying at Elland Road, where in time he will add to his one senior appearance.

His elder brother Archie left for Tottenham for £40m after almost helping his hometown club to promotion after Farke's first year in charge. Quite literally, that is the cost of not going up.

Once Harry does break into the first team and holds down a place, it would be comforting to think that he would spend longer at the club, who by then, one would hope, would be in an even stronger position to keep their emerging talent.

As Farke went on to say: "It is a cornerstone for our future that promising players like Harry sign new contracts."

Under Fifa rules, a player under 18 cannot sign a professional contract longer than three years and that "any clause referring to a longer period shall not be recognised".

By the time of his next birthday in October 2026, and any renegotiation, the intention is that Harry sees his future at Leeds United, who will hope to have secured another season in the Premier League and are not worrying about having to sell the family silver to stay within PSR parameters.

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Tyrese King
BBC Sport journalist

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against West Ham at Elland Road (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He has a few "late decisions" to make over player availability: "Noah [Okafor] and Willy [Gnonto] are making progress, but have not completed team training this week so far. A few are struggling with illnesses and there are also question marks about Ethan [Ampadu] and Pascal's [Struijk] availability."

• Farke said his team needs to "convert chances to score goals" but is pleased with how they are playing and how "dominant" they are despite the lack of points.

• Farke expects a "difficult game" from the Hammers, despite their defeat by Brentford this week, because they are "a well-established Premier League side": "I didn't like their game on Monday because after such a game they will be even more determined. They have a very experienced approach."

• On the difficulties of facing a fellow struggler: "There is no added pressure. At this level, every game has pressure, and so far we have played huge games. We look forward to these games and it's why we have worked our socks off in the last 24 months."

• On how criticial Elland Road will be to success this season: "It's always important for newly established Premier League sides to make their home a fortress. If you look at the teams who have survived, they had really good home records, which is what we want to do."

• Therefore, he wants his side to start quickly: "We need to be good in our pressing and to play as dominant as possible."

• On 17-year-old Harry Gray's new contract: "Nowadays, it's always complicated. With lawyers and agents etc involved, it can last a while. But this was relatively straightforward because there was a lot of trust, not just between us and Harry, but also his whole family with the club."

• He said the deal proves the attraction of Leeds for young footballers: "It's important to our club that promising players like Harry sign new contracts because we want to develop our own talents. I'm pretty delighted that's over the line."

Follow all of Wednesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Hear more from Farke on BBC Sounds

Image source, Leeds United

Leeds United youngster Harry Gray has signed his first professional contract with the club.

The 17-year-old joins his brother Archie, father Andy, great-uncle Eddie and grandfather Frank in putting pen to paper at Elland Road.

The club said the striker has signed a "long-term deal" and they "look forward to seeing his development" in the future.

Gray made his senior debut for his boyhood club last season, featuring in the 6-0 victory over Stoke City, and has since appeared on the bench this campaign in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.

Adonis Storr
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

When certain players get the ball and run at an opposition, there is a rise in excitement and anticipation. You think: 'There could be a goal here'. At no point did I get that feeling when Leeds' attacking players got the ball against Burnley at the weekend.

In the past three games, Leeds have amassed 54 shots, scoring three times – only Arsenal (+36) and Manchester City (+30) have better shot differences (shots minus shots faced) than Leeds (+29). It is frustrating.

"In order to be competitive and to survive in the best league in the world, we need to do a bit more in the offence," Daniel Farke said before the summer transfer window closed at the start of September.

But the deadline came and went and Leeds did not bring in any more attacking players.

United's front three against Burnley all have proven track records of inefficiency in front of goal – measured by the metric expected goals minus goals. Brenden Aaronson (-6.8), Jack Harrison (-2.2) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (-18.4) have all scored below expectations over their careers according to FBref.

United are 15th in the league with a point a game – probably just enough to stay in the Premier League come May. But the work rate of Aaronson and Harrison, and Calvert-Lewin's skill as a target-man have not been enough to win games – Leeds need goals.

And the margins are fine – four points lost in injury time against Fulham and Bournemouth; two deflected goals conceded to Tottenham; and at the weekend, Leeds played Burnley off the park for a 2-0 loss from two lapses of judgement in defence and a woeful inability to put the ball in the back of the net at the other end.

Leeds have the lowest conversion rate of big chances in the Premier League (17.6%). Farke's system works – now the squad must become more clinical, or the club make the transfers in January that can ensure survival.

Find more from Adonis Storr at The Roaring Peacock, external

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Rix believes Leeds United are struggling to score because there is no "threat" from Jack Harrison and Brenden Aaronson in the front line.

The Kaiser Chiefs bassist told BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast that the pair aren't good enough to fill in for the current injured starters, after the Whites lost 2-0 to Burnley on Saturday.

"It's one of those things where if everyone's fit, those two don't play, but that's the same as any team," Rix said.

"Not the likes of Arsenal because I think they've got amazing reserves but anyone down the bottom, if two or three of their wingers are injured, they're not going to have good wingers to play. And that's where we're at.

"That's me assuming that if Dan James, [Wilfried] Gnonto and [Noah] Okafor are all fit, he's not going to play Aaronson, which he might because he has been doing but let's assume he wouldn't do that.

"If you're an opposition manager and you watch Leeds, you know you can kind of let him have the ball because he's not going to do anything. He does all this other stuff but when we're playing Burnley - either we go and grind out a 0-0 and be really defensive or, if we were playing to win which I think we were, you can't play those two. There's not a massive threat."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Leeds are interested in signing Maccabi Tel Aviv's Malian midfielder Issouf Sissokho, 23, in January. (Africafoot - in French, external), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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The latest episode of BBC Radio Leeds Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast has landed.

Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Simon Rix mull over a difficult Saturday at Turf Moor.

Leeds United missed the opportunity to go seven points clear of fellow newly promoted side Burnley, so where did it all go wrong for Daniel Farke's side?

The trio pick the bones out of what they describe as a "humbling defeat".

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Burnley and Leeds.

Here are some of your comments:

Burnley fans

Gazo: What a win. Sometimes you have to win ugly but once again defensively we showed our resilience. Another flawless display by Martin Dubravka. Superb goals to win the game too.

Shaun: What a performance from Kyle Walker. His reading of the game is immense and the interception and run forward before our second goal was superb.

Winnie: A mixture that showed training had made vast improvements, accompanied by good luck (e.g. Leeds hitting the woodwork) and sheer total brilliance in the two goals. Dubravka and Walker displayed their class. All in all, each player had a good day on the same day -as we know this is not always the case. Now we know Burnley can do it and Scott Parker can help with the team's consistency. That's the key.

Leeds fans

Stephen: Probably the worst performance so far this season. We didn't close down as fast as the opposition, we weren't as clean with our passing and we didn't get back and defend like they did.

Mark: This is NOT good enough. Dominating possession counts for absolutely nothing when the opposition are comfortable, and Burnley were very comfortable. If Farke can't find a way to make that squad more incisive and braver in the final third, then Leeds need to find a manager that can. Quickly.

Ron: In the transfer window, Leeds got two strikers on frees - never was the saying "you get what you pay for" more appropriate. In defence and midfield, they went for players with height and "physical presence", but so far there has been no sign of aerial dominance either at the front or the back. The future looks ominous!

Championship strugglers Sheffield United will not entertain offers for 28-year-old midfielder Gustavo Hamer, who is a Leeds United target, in the January transfer window. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Manchester City 2-0 Everton

• Crystal Palace 3-3 Bournemouth

• Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

This Leeds performance was a far cry from their display in the 3-1 victory at Wolves in their previous away game.

Despite enjoying 68% of possession at Turf Moor, the visitors' best opportunity was Brenden Aaronson's first-half effort against the post, which came after Jaidon Anthony had gifted them possession deep inside the Burnley half.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin started for the fourth game in succession but failed to manage an effort on target and remains stuck on only one goal since his summer move from Everton.

The striker's only shot of the first half - a wayward bicycle kick - was emblematic of Leeds' struggles as they ended the game with only four shots on target from 19 attempts overall.

The visitors pushed and probed in the second half but rarely looked like breaching Burnley's organised backline, with Jack Harrison twice firing well wide from outside the area.

While Leeds' tally of eight points from as many games is far from disastrous, Saturday's result increases the pressure on manager Daniel Farke and his players before another important game next weekend against struggling West Ham at Elland Road.

Daniel Farke spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Leeds' defeat against Burnley: "You can't have better statistics than we did today in an away game in the Premier League. When Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City travel here even they won't have better statistics. We won each and every statistic but in football it is also just about goals. They were more effective than us today.

"In the first half they had one chance and we were a bit sleepy on the cross and they scored, then in the second half they had a shot from about 25 yards. When we had big chances we were more or less surprised. Performance wise I can't complain but this is how football works.

"First game after the international break with so many offensive players out to be so dominant, I didn't expect this but the players have delivered it. Of course we wanted to score but it was one of those days where it was not to be and we could not get the ball over the line. Credit to them for finding the goals.

"We want to pick up points everywhere and for that we need good performances. We showed today in many, many aspects but effectiveness is what's crucial. This is what we need to add to our game."

Did you know?

Leeds United put 47 crosses into Burnley's box today, the most by a team in a Premier League match this season and most by Leeds in a league game since June 2020 away at Cardiff (47), which was also a 2-0 defeat.

• Listen to Farke's post-match interview with BBC Radio Leeds on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you make of Burnley's display?

Have your say on Leeds' performance

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Scott Parker makes three changes to the Burnley side that lost at Aston Villa before the international break.

Zian Flemming, Lesley Ugochukwu and Jacob Bruun Larsen come in, while Jaiden Anthony is fit to start after suffering a knock at Villa Park a fortnight ago.

Loum Tchaouna and Josh Laurent are among the substitutes, but Lyle Foster misses out after suffering a dead leg on international duty with South Africa.

Burnley XI: Dubravka, Walker, Ugochukwu, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Hartman, Bruun Larsen, Cullen, Florentino, Anthony, Flemming

Subs: Weiss, Edwards, Tchaouna, Ekdal, Pires, Broja, Mejbri, Laurent, Barnes

Daniel Farke makes one alteration to the Leeds team that lost at home to Tottenham Hotspur in their last league game.

Jack Harrison replaces Noah Okafor, who misses out with an adductor injury.

Daniel James and Lucas Perri are back on the Leeds bench after recovering from respective ankle and muscle injuries.

Leeds XI: Darlow, Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson, Longstaff, Ampadu, Stach, Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin, Harrison

Subs: Perri, James, Piroe, Nmecha, Bijol, Tanaka, Bornauw, Justin, Gruev

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Nottingham Forest v Chelsea (12:30)

• Brighton v Newcastle

• Burnley v Leeds United

• Crystal Palace v Bournemouth

• Man City v Everton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Fulham v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Burnley have been a bit unlucky to lose four out of four on the road so far, but they really need to get something at home, especially against another promoted team.

The Clarets beat Sunderland at Turf Moor at the start of the season, which is their only league win to date.

Scott Parker's side have been competitive in most of their other games too but so have Leeds, who have scored the same amount of goals as Burnley - seven - but feel like they carry a bit more of a threat.

This is going to be very tight. I don't like going for too many draws, but this fixture finished 0-0 in the Championship last season and I am going for the same outcome this time.

Sutton's prediction: 0-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Burnley and Leeds battled it out for the Championship title last season - now they face each other at Turf Moor in a Premier League clash which could have implications come the end of the season.

BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes ahead of their meeting.

This may only be Burnley and Leeds' eighth league game of the season, but this game between two promoted sides already has the whiff of a crucial six-pointer.

Leeds have made a better start to life back in the Premier League than Burnley so far, and will have spent the international break smarting from coming away with nothing from their last match against Tottenham.

Their narrow 2-1 defeat will have hurt given how well they competed against the Europa League winners. However, Spurs' extra bit of quality, shown by the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons, proved to be the difference between the sides.

Where the goals are going to come from remains a hot topic for Leeds fans and a tally of just seven from seven top-flight games tells its own story. Winger Noah Okafor is their only player to score more than once this season, and while Dominic Calvert-Lewin has led the line well as the focal point of their attack, familiar questions remain about his ability to take chances.

Maximum points from this fixture and next week's home match with West Ham will be seen as a must by boss Daniel Farke, who has named the same starting XI in each of their last four matches.

For Burnley, one win from seven games represents a worrying start.

Only West Ham have conceded more top-flight goals than the Clarets' 15, which is remarkably only one less than Scott Parker's side let in across their 46 games in the Championship last season. They could become only the second side in Football League history after Liverpool in the 1894-95 campaign to concede their previous season's tally within their first eight games.

Two things Parker would like to see his side have more of is a) the ball and b) a lead. Their average possession stands at just 35.3%, while they have held a lead for an average of just eight per cent of their seven matches so far this season.

In mitigation, their fixture list has not been kind and they have faced Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.

They have been in contention in many of those games but Parker has bemoaned his side's lack of focus at crucial junctures:

"There is a theme at the moment," he said after the loss to Villa. "We were hugely competitive, but switched off in certain moments."

Their one win this season came against another promoted club in Sunderland, something they will be desperate to repeat against Leeds as they look to get their season up and running

One statistic that neither Farke or Parker will look upon fondly is that they occupy the bottom two spots for the lowest Premier League points-per-game average of any manager to have taken charge of 50 or more matches.

The latest episode of the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast has landed.

BBC Radio Leeds' Jonny Buchan and Adam Pope are joined by Kaiser Chiefs' bassist Simon Rix to look ahead to a big game at Turf Moor.

They are pondering how to describe the fixture - huge, massive or simply a 'must not lose'?

Well, victory for Daniel Farke's side will see them open up a seven-point gap over fellow promoted side Burnley after just eight Premier League fixtures.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

When Sean Longstaff came on as a substitute for Leeds against Arsenal in August, he was "immediately trying to get people to do things", and "was already trying to become a leader", according to BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope.

The 27 year-old has started every game for Daniel Farke's side since that Arsenal match and has spoken about the prospect of becoming a leader in the Elland Road dressing room.

"It is something that Eddie Howe had spoken to me about a bit at Newcastle about trying to become a leader." Longstaff told BBC Radio Leeds.

"I didn't come here and try to become a leader, I was just being me really. Ethan [Ampadu] is the captain and he does a fantastic job of leading us, getting us ready to play or speaking to us.

"For me, it was about coming in, watching how the dressing room works and seeing the dynamics. If I can add to it and help Ethan in any way, shape or form then I will try and do that.

"Ultimately, the game is easier when you speak to each other and help each other through the game - if that is what people think leadership is, then you can class it as that. I didn't want to step on anyone's toes, I just want to add to the group and make some of the lads realise how good they are."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

Rangers could struggle to keep hold of 24-year-old Nicolas Raskin, with Leeds United previously expressing an interest in the Belgium midfielder and Tottenham putting him on their radar. (Football Insider), external

Leeds United are likely to block a request from Celtic to sign Illan Meslier on a free transfer in the January transfer window, but a deal could be done for the goalkeeper, who will be out of contract at the end of the season. (TeamTalk), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport