‘One of the bargains of the season’ - £10m Leeds star silenced doubters after fortune-changing tweak from Daniel Farke

A six-match unbeaten run in the English top-flight - which has included wins over Manchester United, Wolves and Burnley - has lifted Leeds seven points clear of the relegation zone and into 14th place.

Wembley heartache was endured against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals, but Leeds are very much back in the big time after winning the Championship title with 100 points in 2024-25. Ambitious plans for the future are being drawn up in West Yorkshire.

Gudmundsson forms part of those and has a lot to look forward to over the coming weeks and months. An unfortunate hamstring injury has been picked up, which may have brought his domestic campaign to a close, but the hope is that World Cup dreams can be fulfilled when earning a place in Sweden’s squad this summer.

The 27-year-old will be desperate to grace that tournament having made his way to the very top of the game via spells in the Netherlands and France. Leeds spotted his potential at Lille and have enjoyed a remarkable return on their investment after pushing Gudmundsson further up the field into a wing-back berth.

Plaudits have rained down on the hard-working Swede, with ex-Whites full-back Gray - speaking exclusively to GOAL via Adlerslots - saying when asked if Gudmundsson represents of the Premier League’s best pieces of business in 2025-26: “I think as the season's gone on, yes. I wasn't too sure at the time, but this change in system that Daniel Farke has done - it was actually in the second half against Manchester City when they played them at the Etihad Stadium - I think that suited him more than any other player that I've seen in the second half of the season and he's turning out to be a wonderful defender.

“Not just defender but also offensively as well, in his all-round game he's just come on absolutely leaps and bounds - he's certainly one of the bargains of the season.”

While seeing the likes of Gudmundsson thrive on the field, Leeds are building towards a brighter future off it. Elland Road is being lined up for a significant facelift, which will ultimately raise the ground’s capacity to 53,000, and the hope is that European football will return to an iconic sporting venue at some point.

Quizzed on whether that target can be hit and why expansion has to happen on squad and stadium-building fronts, Gray added: “I think that had to be done because we know that Leeds' stadium now, if they doubled it they'd fill every seat, because it's a brilliantly supported football club.

“I had some special times there and you realise how big of a club it is when you're playing against them, but when you walk through the tunnel, when you wear that white shirt, it's very special.

“The manager's done an incredible job, first and foremost it's just staying in the Premier League first season after being promoted, so he's achieved that, or it looks like they've achieved it anyway.

“Leeds is an attractive football club to any player that comes to the Premier League, they've obviously set out their style this season, and they're only going to get better and better with the backing. I think the ownership of the club and everything now, they seem to have the club at heart, which maybe wasn't the case in the past, but they can be a force, there's no question.

“I think next season for me, or maybe even the next two seasons, is trying to establish themselves as a top 10 Premier League side, and if they start doing that, I think that's when they can start having the conversation about Europe.”

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