The 49ers have made a conscious effort to keep multiple key members of Daniel Farke’s Leeds United squad this summer.
The first bit of business United did was getting Ethan Ampadu to put pen to paper on a new deal. This tells you all you need to know about just how important the Welsh midfielder is for us.
However, the contract renewals have not stopped there.
On Wednesday, it was announced Joe Rodon had extended his stay in West Yorkshire until 2030. On Thursday, the very same announcement came for Jayden Bogle.
Leeds tie down two key members of their defence to long-term deals
All three players were singing from the same song sheet when it came to what they said after they agreed to stay at Elland Road.
Earlier this week, Ampadu raved about the 49ers’ ambition to eventually get Leeds back into Europe and the high potential the club has. This played a key role in him committing his future to United.
And since agreeing their respective deals, Rodon and Bogle have all echoed this statement from their captain.
“I think I have said it since day one, since I have come into this club, everyone in the club has been absolutely brilliant with me, and I have loved it,” Rodon said to LUTV.
“For me, I think the direction we have come in and kind of the journey I have been on since I have been here, the ambition and the project that is happening here, it was a no-brainer. So, for the club to believe in me and give me this opportunity, I am so grateful.”
Again, this theme about the club’s ambition also cropped up in Bogle’s interview with LUTV.
“I think I said when I first signed, you can feel the winning feeling around the place and how much the club wants to achieve. This club has been in special places in the past, and I think everyone has got the ambition to get back to there.”
To see this be repeated time and again is just exciting for us supporters. The fact the 49ers are also so organised when it comes to tying our key players down to new deals is also refreshing to see. It well and truly looks like United are back.
Qualifying for Europe only a matter of time under the 49ers
As owners, the 49ers do a lot more right than they do wrong.
For the most part, the recruitment is exceptional, and you get the feeling they try and spend as much as they physically can. At times we do miss out on players; of course we do, but the fact that some of those names we miss out on are ambitious deals lets us know that they have lofty plans for us.
When the expansion of Elland Road is complete, as a club we will go to that next level and fly up the table even further because of the extra revenue it will afford us.
It may not be next season, but it only seems like a matter of time before we are back in Europe consistently with the 49ers as our owners.
Their aspirations for the club clearly excite the players, and hopefully this will play a part in attracting and keeping hold of quality players for as long as possible.
Now it’s on Bogle, Rodon and Ampadu to prove on the pitch why the 49ers want them to be at the heart of their ambitious sporting project at Leeds in the coming years.
