Leeds United have made an impressive start to their second season back in the Premier League.
Two victories and two draws from their first four league matches saw United move into third place in the table.
Jamie Carragher was among the high-profile pundits to praise Leeds following their emphatic 4-1 victory over Newcastle at Elland Road on Monday night.
Carragher is regularly full of praise for Daniel Farke’s team and Leeds as a club, so his comments were hardly unexpected.
What was more surprising, however, was hearing former Leeds goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel have something positive to say about his old club.
Kasper Schmeichel claims he never felt ‘welcome’ at Leeds
Schmeichel spent only one season at Elland Road in 2010. Naturally, because of his father Peter’s legendary status at Manchester United, chants were directed at Kasper while he was between the posts for Leeds.
Kasper has rarely appeared particularly fond of his time in West Yorkshire. The former goalkeeper even revealed that he never felt “welcome” during his spell with the club.
In a 2019 interview with Joe Hart, Schmeichel reflected on his short-lived stint at Leeds.
“I remember about three weeks after joining Leeds thinking, ‘What have I done?!’
“It was just the wrong club for me at that time. I just didn’t feel welcome at all at the club, by the whole club, that’s the manager (Simon Grayson) as well.
“He didn’t give me any kind of confidence. I had a decent season, I thought.
“I didn’t set the world alight, but I had a solid enough season, but I did not enjoy my time there at all. It was a really bad time,” Schmeichel said.
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Kasper Schmeichel STUNS Leeds United With “THEY ARE NOT…” Verdict After SHOCKING Change of Tune
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September 16, 2026
Leeds United have made an impressive start to their second season back in the Premier League.
Two victories and two draws from their first four league matches saw United move into third place in the table.
Jamie Carragher was among the high-profile pundits to praise Leeds following their emphatic 4-1 victory over Newcastle at Elland Road on Monday night.
Carragher is regularly full of praise for Daniel Farke’s team and Leeds as a club, so his comments were hardly unexpected.
What was more surprising, however, was hearing former Leeds goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel have something positive to say about his old club.
Kasper Schmeichel claims he never felt ‘welcome’ at Leeds
Schmeichel spent only one season at Elland Road in 2010. Naturally, because of his father Peter’s legendary status at Manchester United, chants were directed at Kasper while he was between the posts for Leeds.
Kasper has rarely appeared particularly fond of his time in West Yorkshire. The former goalkeeper even revealed that he never felt “welcome” during his spell with the club.
In a 2019 interview with Joe Hart, Schmeichel reflected on his short-lived stint at Leeds.
“I remember about three weeks after joining Leeds thinking, ‘What have I done?!’
“It was just the wrong club for me at that time. I just didn’t feel welcome at all at the club, by the whole club, that’s the manager (Simon Grayson) as well.
“He didn’t give me any kind of confidence. I had a decent season, I thought.
“I didn’t set the world alight, but I had a solid enough season, but I did not enjoy my time there at all. It was a really bad time,” Schmeichel said.
Kasper Schmeichel delivers surprising praise to his former side
Fast forward to Monday, and Schmeichel had seemingly changed his stance when discussing his former club while working as a pundit for Premier League Productions.
Schmeichel argued that Leeds are no longer a “yo-yo club” and suggested that the Whites could potentially challenge for European football this season.
“They are not that yo-yo club that they were a couple of years back. They are now an established Premier League club with strength in depth to go and push on.
“I hope they now understand what that club can do when they are united because if they can get that as a permanent thing, the potential of the club is huge.
“It is an incredible place to play when you are on top, and they are on top, and now it’s about doubling down.
“For me now, I hope they see the potential to push for a European place,” Schmeichel said.
It was encouraging to see Schmeichel put his previous frustrations with Leeds to one side when assessing their display against Newcastle. Perhaps this is the Dane’s way of repairing some of his relationship with the supporters.
One issue I have with Kasper Schmeichel’s comments
The only part of Schmeichel’s assessment I would question is his suggestion that Leeds are no longer a “yo-yo club”.
We were never that to begin with.
A yo-yo club would be more accurately associated with a team such as Burnley, for instance. Leeds have only suffered one recent relegation from the top flight, which came in 2023.
When Marcelo Bielsa guided Leeds back to the Premier League in 2020, it was the first time the club had returned to the top division in 16 years. Because of that, I would not describe Leeds as a yo-yo club simply because they were relegated again a couple of seasons later.
Aside from that, Schmeichel’s assessment was largely spot on. Whether it happens this season or further down the line, Leeds are a club with genuine potential to compete in European football. The priority now is to keep progressing and continue building towards that ambition.
