Here are your Leeds United morning headlines on Wednesday, March 8.
Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma eyes up Premier League record break against Leeds United
Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma has claimed that breaking the Premier League record for most goals scored by a Japanese player in a season against Leeds United this weekend is not his first priority.
The Seagulls winger has burst onto the scene this season, netting six times in the league which brings him level with former Leicester striker Shinji Okazaki and ex-Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa but could take the record for himself this weekend if he finds the back of the net against Javi Gracia's men.
"I know about the record," Mitoma told the club's website. "I would just like to go as far as I can, but it will not be that easy. The team played well [against West Ham] and that gave me a chance to score.
"I will play for the team first and then will try to get goals myself. Only by getting a good result in every match I can continue to play as a starter."
However, if Mitoma does fail to score against the Whites, he won't be fretting because his fantastic form means he'll have another 14 matches to score.
"If I play the game from the start I can control the things, like playing wide, taking a certain position or taking on the opponent but it can change depending on who we play against.
"It’s easier if I play from the start but there are also things that I can do from the bench. I think it’s my strength that I can play in both those roles."
Leeds United receive vote of confidence in battle against Premier League relegation
Leeds United have been backed by bookmakers to avoid relegation from the Premier League, as they tipped Bournemouth, Southampton, Everton and Nottingham Forest to all be more likely to play in the Championship next season than the Whites.
A 1-0 defeat to Chelsea for Leeds on Saturday afternoon allowed their relegation rivals to claw back ground in the fight to stay up this season. The Saints claimed all three points against Leicester City, while Nottingham Forest and Everton played out a 2-2 draw to take a point each.
And things were also looking bleak for the Whites when Bournemouth took a shock 2-0 lead at the Emirates over top of the table Arsenal, only for a 97th minute Reiss Nelson winner to complete a 3-2 comeback and prevent the Cherries from pulling off what would have been one of the biggest upsets this term.
Leeds United's Elland Road redevelopment revisited amid relegation and takeover question marks
One of the many aspects affected by relegation if Leeds United drop into the Championship will be the long-planned redevelopment of Elland Road. Promotion to the Premier League had always been billed as the key which unlocked the finance needed for such a project, but with the end of the club’s third consecutive year at the top table approaching, there is still little firm detail or spades in the ground.
The last public comments made came from chairman Andrea Radrizzani. Last August, the owner told The Athletic expansion had always been tied to top-flight security.
“I always said to Angus Kinnear (chief executive), we’ll look at the expansion of the stadium when we’re in the third year of the Premier League,” he said. “The chance to go back in the Championship is very high in the first and second year, but much lower after."
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