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Paul Merson says he knows a ‘very good’ signing Leeds could make now after being promoted to the Premier League
Leeds United are back in the Premier League, and they have a lot of work to do in the summer transfer window.
As the likes of Ipswich, Leicester, Southampton, Sheffield United, Luton Town and Burnley can all attest to, the Premier League isn’t too kind to newly-promoted teams these days.
Leeds need to add to their squad this summer, and Tomas Soucek has already been linked to Leeds.
The Whites could make a splash this summer – let’s not forget, last time Leeds were promoted they signed Raphinha, and Raphinha is now a genuine Ballon d’Or contender.
Speaking to , Paul Merson has now suggested a high-profile signing Leeds could make this summer.
- READ MORE: Roy Keane says what he’s noticed about Declan Rice at Arsenal recently compared to his teammates
Leeds should go for Raheem Sterling
Merson spoke about Raheem Sterling’s situation and where he should go next.
Sterling has been heavily criticised this season at Arsenal, and he needs a fresh start.
Merson reckons that Leeds should go for Sterling due to his experience and ability in the dressing room.
“He needs to go and play football, week in, week out to get some rhythm. He’s come in games where they’ve made changes and it’s not fluent. I feel for him. His time at Arsenal is up, definitely,” he said.
“If I was at Leeds, I would look at Raheem. He has experience, they’re a young team he’s very good in the dressing room, a good team player. Wouldn’t be a bad move for Leeds, or Sterling. That ticks the box.”
Experienced players who’ve helped newly-promoted sides
As Merson says, Raheem Sterling is a very experienced player, and it shouldn’t be understated how important experience is for these newly-promoted teams.
Each of the last six teams that have come up from the Championship have gone straight back down, but when you look at recent teams who have stayed up after promotion, many of them signed proven Premier League players soon after coming up.
| Promoted teams who have stayed up | Experienced signings |
| Fulham | Willian, Andreas Pereira, Bernd Leno, Issa Diop |
| Nottingham Forest | Jesse Lingard, Dean Henderson, Willy Boly, Jonjo Shelvey, Chris Wood |
| Bournemouth | N/A |
| Brentford | Christian Eriksen |
Fulham built a real backbone of a side with Premier League experience, while Nottingham Forest’s initial scattergun approach didn’t work, but they found success once they turned to the likes of Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Christian Eriksen was the catalyst for Brentford to stay up during their first season back in the top flight of English football too.
Bournemouth are the exception to the rule here, but, as you can see, signing experienced Premier League players is a good way to set yourself up for success after promotion.
Sterling would certainly be a solid signing for a club like Leeds United.