'Exciting pressure' - Leeds United new boy reveals Elland Road already feels like home

The Wales international is preparing to face South Korea and Latvia this week as he aims to earn his 45th and 46th caps for his country and has been speaking about his acclimatisation to life at Elland Road.

Ampadu has started every game for Leeds so far this season and impressed spectators with his performances and on-pitch leadership in Daniel Farke’s youthful squad.

Only 22 himself, Ampadu is vastly experienced in the game, having come through at Exeter City as a teenager before joining Chelsea. He has since been on loan at various clubs including RB Leipzig, Sheffield United, Venezia and Spezia, competing in three of Europe’s top five leagues.

The youngster’s loan spells haven’t always gone according to plan, though. In each of his last three seasons, Ampadu has suffered relegation from the Premier League and Serie A, twice.

Now at Leeds, the player says he feels ‘settled’ and is relishing the ‘exciting pressure’ that comes with representing such an historic club.

“It’s not just the position I play but the history of the club in general, where the club belongs. We know on the outside where everyone wants us to be and within ourselves what we need to do to get where we want to be,” Ampadu said in a Wales press conference on Tuesday.

"You obviously feel the pressure in the club, but it’s more of an exciting pressure of knowing what you can achieve.

"Personally it's nice to be settled, when you're settled and stable somewhere, that distraction of being on loan is gone. It's nice to be somewhere to call home."

Ampadu is expected to feature prominently throughout 2023/24 and beyond after putting pen to paper on a contract which runs until 2027.

"I'm grateful for all loan moves I did, the years I was at Chelsea, how I developed. But I'm settled now and I can hopefully play in one position, concentrate on it and take everything I've learned in the past and put it together now."

Wales take on South Korea in a friendly on Thursday evening before a visit to Latvia in European Championships qualifying on Monday, September 11.