Tore Andre Flo believes his former club Leeds have a ‘great chance’ of finishing above Manchester United in the Premier League this season.
Leeds won the Championship title last term to secure promotion to the top-flight and are hoping to avoid relegation to the second tier in 2025-26.
The gap between the Championship and Premier League is significant – with all three promoted teams last season – Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton – suffering relegation straight back to the second tier.
But ex-Leeds striker Flo feels Daniel Farke’s will follow in the footsteps of clubs like Nottingham Forest, AFC Bournemouth and Fulham – three teams who have shined in the top-flight since promotion in 2021-22.
‘Leeds know what’s needed to stay up’
Your ultimate guide to the football season
In The Mixer: Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every week – click here and sign up before Friday to make sure you don’t miss the first edition.
‘They’re such a big club – they can stay up,’ Flo, who made 24 appearances for Leeds in the noughties, told Metro.
‘We’ve seen in recent years it’s really difficult to stay up and a lot of the teams who come up struggle a bit.
‘They need to step up from the Championship. They’ve been there before and they know what’s needed to stay up.
‘I think they’ll be able to do what Nottingham Forest and Fulham and teams like that have done.’
Leeds have signed a number of new players in the summer transfer window including Anton Stach, who arrived in a £17.4m deal from Hoffenheim, and Lucas Perri, who joined the club from Lyon for £15.6m.
Jaka Bijol, Sean Longstaff, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Lukas Nmecha have also moved to Leeds ahead of the new season.
‘Leeds will be fired up for games vs Man Utd’
While staying up would mark a significant achievement for Leeds, Flo believes the club could even finish above bitter rivals Manchester United.
It should be noted that Flo made the claim in June, though, before Ruben Amorim’s side signed a number of new players themselves – including Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon.
Quizzed if Leeds could finish above the Red Devils, who ended up 15th last term, Flo added: ‘It’s possible – yes. It’s definitely possible.
‘Saying that, Man Utd will do stuff [in the summer transfer window] to change what’s happened.
‘There will be a lot of changes. But as it is of now [in June], Leeds have a great chance to finish above them.
‘They will be fired up [for games against Man Utd] – for sure!’
