Leeds United must shock everyone and reunite with midfielder who was sold for just £5m

By average age, Leeds have the ninth-oldest team in the Championship currently. However, there are a number of players out of contract who are among the elder statesmen in the squad and bringing that average up.

Once the likes of Junior Firpo, Josuha Guilavogui, and ‘unsung hero’ Sam Byram depart upon the expiry of their contracts, Leeds will be severely lacking in experienced professionals with plenty of top flight experience. Unless they tie them to new deals, but Leeds have other players to prioritise in contract terms.

Leeds made plenty of good decisions last summer to set up 2024/25’s promotion push nicely, but the 49ers and Paraag Marathe will need another even better transfer window to strike a balance on the pitch for Daniel Farke to have any chance — and that includes signing some seasoned pros.

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James Milner should be Leeds’ first signing for 2025/26

One player that Leeds simply have to have on their radar to replace Guilavogui’s role in the squad and his fleeting minutes on the pitch is James Milner. The ex-England international is the perfect player for such a role, while also still having enough in the tank to compete in the Premier League still.

Milner is the player with the second-most appearances in Premier League history after Gareth Barry. Not only that, but he is someone who knows the club and whose experience and leadership would be vital to helping set standards in training and getting players up from losses.

They will be in for plenty of those next term, but a homecoming for the versatile utility man would make sense from that perspective. He could also help to develop younger players at the club and impart some wisdom upon them, while also close in on a personal milestone of the all-time appearance record, too.

Leeds simply have to target players like Milner to pad out the squad this summer. He is available for free and would surely be more than just amenable to the idea of a return. He has vast experience with Man City and Liverpool of winning titles but his know-how and presence are valuable commodities to any dressing room at any end of the table.

Leeds are unlikely to be troubling the top half of the division as they look to establish themselves and consolidate mid-table over the coming years. Someone like the 39-year-old could be the glue that holds the pieces of the puzzle together in assisting the likes of Ethan Ampadu in captaincy duties.

Coming back to where it all began would be romantic but also extremely sensible, if not a spectacular signing and a real needle mover in terms of quality and reliability as he once was during the peak years and prime of his career. Milner has been linked with a Leeds return before but now is the time for it to materialise after close calls previously with Milner.

Having personality hires is common in the workplace outside of football, but Milner could bring that and more to the table for Leeds. Having been sold to Newcastle United for £5 million in 2004 following relegation (BBC Sport), it could be the perfect way to bookend his career with a return.

• READ MORE: Leeds United legend reveals what James Milner was really like behind the scenes at Thorp Arch

James Milner’s incredible appearance record

Milner has so much to offer even now at his age, with his freakish fitness and longevity already well known across the footballing world. The most crucial element of all, however, is that he bleeds yellow, white, and blue.

Having seasoned Premier League players is an underrated aspect for sides looking to survive, but as is having boyhood fans like Milner at the club. The likes of Brighton and Brentford have been excellent at striking the balance in recent years, with Adam Lallana and Ben Mee important on the pitch and in the dressing room.

Milner’s legs may have gone but Leeds can offer him the perfect role as he winds down his career with his team where it all began into his 40s after making his debut aged 16 with the Whites. For so many reasons, he should be the very first signing the club brings through the door this summer.

By ensuring the player with almost 1000 professional appearances is in for the first day of pre-season to perform Guilavogui’s important and influential role to an even greater extent, Leeds could have another leader behind the scenes to bed in everything and everyone else that follows after.