'Hurt' - Former Premier League winner makes Leeds United prediction after promotion back to top flight

Leeds celebrated a return to the Premier League on Easter Monday after Sheffield United were beaten by fellow promoted club Burnley to confirm both the Clarets and the Whites' spot in the top flight for 2025/26.

Daniel Farke's side crowned their achievement with a flourish, defeating Stoke City 6-0 at Elland Road before anxiously waiting on the result of Sheffield United's game with Burnley, which would decide the three team's automatic promotion fate.

With top flight membership secured, pundits have weighed in with their thoughts on how Leeds and Burnley will fare next season.

Each of the last six teams to come up from the Championship have been relegated the following season, assuming Ipswich Town who are 15 points adrift of safety with only five games remaining, also go back down this year.

Increasing intensity, a growing financial disparity and superior players have rendered newly-promoted sides inadequate compared to established Premier League clubs, something which Leeds, Burnley and one other team will wrestle with in 2025/26.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5Live, ex-England stopper Hart said: "I think it has been very much shown over the last two seasons what an impressive league this is and you really have to be squeaky clean if you want to play that sort of football because you will get picked apart and hurt.

"The teams coming up now will address that with a clear game plan," he added.

Did last year’s promoted teams not spend enough in the transfer market?

Leicester City, Southampton and Ipswich spent in excess of £300 million on reinforcements last summer but are all headed for the Football League having fallen at the first hurdle. The trio are statistically among the worst teams in Premier League history, picking up just 50 points between them after 33 matches.

If Leeds are to break from the current cycle of newly-promoted sides going straight back down and consolidate their Premier League status beyond May 2026, Hart believes the team will need to adopt a more pragmatic way of playing.

"I think fans are going to have to get on board that their teams are going to be looking to grind out results and earn their status in the Premier League."

"Having a solid foundation, that is the best way to go, but it is a level up. That's the issue," ex-Premier League striker Chris Sutton added.