Leeds United will be aiming to stay put in the Premier League past the end of the 2025/26 season, but that will be easier said than done.

The last time the Whites managed to stay up at the first time of asking after triumphantly securing promotion to the top-flight was when the revered Marcelo Bielsa still occupied the Elland Road dug-out, with an unbelievable seventh place position somehow pulled off come the close of the memorable 2020/21 campaign.

Ever since that major high point, though, Leeds have struggled when keeping their heads above water in the elite division, having fallen back down to the Championship with a whimper in 2023.

Daniel Farke is the boss who will be aiming to rewrite the depressing script in West Yorkshire, however, with it not being all doom and gloom since the Uruguayan's sombre exit, either, as several exciting stars have called Leeds home since his sacking in early 2022.

Some of Leeds' best signings since Bielsa left

Even with Championship football regularly being on the menu after the enigmatic South American's departure, Leeds have been blessed with possessing some exceptional talents.

Georginio Rutter has to go down as one of Leeds' best bits of business in terms of the entertainment he offered in the rebuild after Bielsa, with the £35.5m purchase from Hoffenheim tallying up a ridiculous eight goals and 18 assists for the Whites, leading to Paul Merson even comparing him to Arsenal great Dennis Bergkamp for his audacious footwork.

Amazingly, too, Wilfried Gnonto never crossed paths with Bielsa at Elland Road, with the Italian attacker a real force to be reckoned with when unleashed, as seen in him firing home 22 goals to date for the Whites.

Moving away from the attack, Ethan Ampadu has also become a mainstay in the middle of the park since joining for £7m from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, as Leeds also finally stormed back up to the Premier League.

There's even a compelling enough argument already to suggest that Sean Longstaff joining for £12m this summer just gone is one of the best bits of business since Bielsa left the building, with five big chances created by the ex-Newcastle United man helping Leeds push up to 15th in the early league standings.

Yet, despite the Newcastle-born ace experiencing such a promising start to life in West Yorkshire, he arguably lags just behind this Farke stalwart still in this argument, who is continuing to shine very bright as one of the first names on the German's teamsheet.

Leeds' best signing since Bielsa left

There's no guarantee that Longstaff will be able to keep up these excellent early levels at Leeds across a full Premier League season, having been regularly injury-prone at St James' Park.

Farke won't have any lingering concerns about Joe Rodon pulling up with an injury anytime soon, however, with the commanding Welshman now starting a staggering 94 consecutive games for Leeds as he remains one of the vital parts of his manager's jigsaw, even as new signings aplenty - such as Longstaff - joined this off-season.

Having also collected a mammoth 48 clean sheets across his first century appearance for Leeds, Rodon has only cemented himself as a key Whites first-teamer during the infancy of this new season.

The Swansea-born warrior has even chipped in with two goals so far this campaign to ensure the top-flight newcomers already have three league wins under their belt, the latest of which steered his side to a valuable win over struggling West Ham United.

Yet, it's his unwavering determination for Leeds that stretches all the way back to the 2023/24 campaign, which means he is surely their best signing since Bielsa sadly left Elland Road behind, with the £10m spent on his permanent services at the close of that promotion near-miss season continuing to look like a bargain amount.

He will only be seen in an even more glowing light if his imposing displays result in Leeds beating the drop, with Farke's "unbelievable" assessment of the 28-year-old after his debut two years ago still ringing true today.