Leeds United news as Robbie Savage makes relegation…

Leeds United news as Robbie Savage makes relegation prediction ahead of Premier League restart

Here are the latest Leeds United morning headlines on Friday, 23 December 2022.

Savage prediction

Pundit Robbie Savage has predicted Leeds United to be one of the three teams relegated from the Premier League this season. Speaking to William Hill, Savage believes Southampton and Wolves will be the two sides joining the Whites in the Championship next year.

Leeds currently sit 15th in the table ahead of the restart but were showing reals signs of defensive vulnerability before the break. Southampton and Wolves, meanwhile, both currently occupy a place in the bottom three and so Nottingham Forest are who he is backing to climb the table to safety.

Savage said: “Bottom three, I’m going to go Southampton, Wolves and Leeds United in the bottom three. I’m going to stick with it, Marching on Together.”

Marsch on Jackson

Survival is no bad legacy if Mark Jackson does move on from Leeds United. Milton Keynes Dons want the first-team coach to take their top job in League One, leaving his Whites future hanging in the balance.

LeedsLive understands talks have progressed and there is a very real chance the former United defender could be taking the next step in his management career elsewhere. After rising from the under-18s to the under-23s and then into the first team under Jesse Marsch, Jackson’s surge has been unstoppable in recent years.

While the American declined to comment on Jackson’s future or the Dons interest, he was happy to wax lyrical about the 45-year-old’s impact behind the scenes. The head coach even said the club would have been relegated in May if it had not been for Jackson’s impact.

“All I can really talk about right now is Jacko has been an absolute asset for me from the first day I stepped foot into this building,” he said. “He has done everything, and more than, I could have hoped [for]."

Drameh

A permanent exit for Cody Drameh next month has been virtually ruled out by Jesse Marsch in the clearest indication yet there is a future at Leeds United for the right-back. Marsch even hinted the Whites should be paving the way for the 21-year-old now, not just in the future.

Drameh memorably sought first-team football at Cardiff City at the start of this year despite Marcelo Bielsa’s indications there might be chances in an injury-ravaged Leeds side. After choosing to stay and fight for his place this summer, Drameh failed to oust Rasmus Kristensen or Luke Ayling and another January switch looked likely.

However, after being consistently impressed with the former Fulham youth over the past month, Marsch has intimated Drameh won’t be going anywhere for good. It’s a part of a wider conversation going on with the club’s younger faces about whether loans would suit them next month.

“Those discussions are ongoing, especially with young players, [about] how to challenge them to grow and equip them with things so ultimately they'll provide the club with more at some point,” he said.