Good Morning. It's Friday 2nd October, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
James on fire for Wales
Dan James was the hero as Wales finally registered a win in the UEFA Nations League, scoring the equaliser and forcing the red card that turned a difficult night in Cardiff into a 2-1 win over Norway. James started alongside Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu for game three of the international break. After defeats in Portugal and Denmark, Craig Bellamy’s side needed a response. Oscar Bobb had put the visitors ahead inside 11 minutes, but Wales deserved the points by the end. Sorba Thomas, a constant threat down the left, found James with a low cross just before half-time, and the Elland Road winger arrived late to tap home for his 11th Wales goal.He was given a huge round of applause when Bellamy took him off.It was not only the finish. Seventeen seconds into the second half, James raced through and was dragged back by Torbjørn Heggem, who was sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Neco Williams smashed home the free-kick to put Wales in front, and they held on through a nervy finish against 10 men. Erling Haaland was kept quiet. It was Wales’ first win in a Nations League A group. BBC Radio Wales coverage loved the winger. Sam Vokes picked out one second-half run in particular: “That is electric pace from Dan James. No one is catching him in this sort of mood.”
Y Clwb Pel-droed rated him 8/10, citing that pace as his main weapon and his positioning for the goal.The contrast with his club form is sharp. James helped fire Leeds back to the Premier League, then spent much of last season interrupted by injury. Daniel Farke could often only call on him from the bench, and a blank in front of goal told its own story. Fans and pundits have not been overly kind about his form this season either. A night like Cardiff, a goal, a red card earned, and the pace that made his name, is the shot in the arm his Elland Road season has been waiting for.
Wilson's race against time for Emirates trip
Harry Wilson faces a race against time to be fit for Leeds trip to the Emirates, with the summer signing still working his way back from a quad injury. The 29-year-old joined on a free transfer from Fulham and is yet to open his account for the Whites. Six appearances have brought neither a goal nor an assist. Daniel Farke dropped him for the home game against Brentford, and a good run of results kept him out of the starting XI. He then missed last month’s 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace. “Sadly Harry Wilson is out for this game with a quad injury, some problems after last game,” Farke said in the build-up.“He’ll also probably miss the Welsh games. I hope to have Harry Wilson back on the other side of the international break.” That prediction held. Wilson pulled out of Wales duty the day after the Palace draw and has spent the break with compatriot Joe Rodon on the Thorp Arch treatment table. From a Leeds point of view the timing is manageable. The extended three-week international break means an absence of more than three weeks could still cost him only one match. He has another nine days before the trip to the Emirates, and he will need to be fully involved in training to be considered.
Farke has been clear that he will not put a player in a matchday squad if they have not trained with the group. A muscle problem also needs careful handling: the risk of aggravating it is higher than with an impact injury, and Leeds have been in good form without him, so there is no reason to rush. The side have also been playing without a typical right-winger for several weeks. Farke has used a midfield three and a front two, with Noah Okafor drifting out towards the left. Width on the right has come from wing-back Jayden Bogle, backed up by James Justin stepping out from centre-back. Wilson can still force his way into the Arsenal squad, but only if the quad allows him back into full training first.
Longstaff exit on cards
Leeds United could look to move Sean Longstaff in January, with the midfielder’s reported £80,000-a-week wages sitting awkwardly against just 10 minutes of Premier League football this season. Longstaff joined from Newcastle United in July 2025 for about £12 million up front, rising to £15 million with add-ons, on a four-year deal to 2029. Wage databases including Capology and Salary Leaks put his gross pay at £80,000 a week, or roughly £4.2 million a year, among the highest in the Leeds squad, behind only the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the recently departed Jack Harrison.The figures are estimates, not official club numbers, but they are consistent across several salary trackers.That outlay was meant to buy Premier League know-how. Longstaff started regularly early last season before a calf injury, then made 23 league appearances (10 starts) with two goals and two assists. This summer he scored in friendlies against Wrexham and Liverpool and talked of using pre-season to force his way back in. The league minutes have not followed. By late September he had only 10 minutes across two Premier League substitute appearances, with his starts confined to the Carabao Cup.
Anton Stach, Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka are ahead of him in Farke’s midfield. At £80,000 a week, even a short run on the bench is expensive. Over a full season the reported salary is more than £4 million; pro-rated against a handful of league minutes, the cost per appearance becomes hard to justify if he stays a cup and rotation option. Moving him in January would cut that wage, recover part of last summer’s fee, and free a high-earning squad place. Longstaff remains under contract until 2029 and could still play his way back in, but the gap between his reported pay and his league involvement is the clearest reason Leeds might cash in when the window opens.
