Leeds United 7/1 to break Reading's Championship points record in 2024/25

It's a record that has stood the test of time, but could the Royals remarkable 2005/06 Championship title-winning tally be eclipsed this coming campaign?

Well, we are 7/1 that Leeds break through the 106 point barrier come next May.

Daniel Farke's men are the well-backed 3/1 favourites to capture the second tier title, and an even shorter price of 6/5 to win promotion back to the top-flight by any means.

But, are they capable of securing a return to the promised land in record breaking fashion?

"It's a points record that many clubs have threatened to surpass over the past 18 years, but none have managed to quite get there," bet365's Steve Freeth said.

"Vincent Kompany's impressive Burnley side of 2022/23 had promotion sewn up with six games to spare and were in with a shout of breaking the record, but, despite being the first club to hit three figures since Leicester - almost a decade earlier - they still came up short.

"The Clarets are back in the Championship and lie second in the betting to win promotion behind Leeds, who agonisingly missed out last term. However, it looks a weaker heat than 12 months ago and punters have been all over the Yorkshire club, with 51.7% of outright bets being placed on Leeds!

"If the money is to be believed then it could be a special, and potentially even record-breaking, campaign for Farke and his men."

Leeds United Championship Points Record Odds

(Odds will display when market is available).

Ordinarily, 90 points across a full Championship campaign would secure automatic promotion, but unfortunately for Daniel Farke and his Leeds side, the 2023/24 season proved to be anything but ordinary.

Relegated in May 2023, there were hopes and expectations for the Yorkshire outfit to make an immediate return to the Premier League.

With top-flight players in tow, and an almighty war-chest, Leeds, along with Leicester City, Southampton and Ipswich Town, were the bookies favourites to secure promotion.

But whilst, the other three aforementioned clubs succeeded in their task, Leeds ultimately faltered, leaving them facing the prospect of a second consecutive campaign in the second tier.

A disappointing end to the campaign, which saw the club succumb to defeat in three of their final four regular season fixtures, put pay to their automatic promotion hopes, whilst further anguish was piled upon the Elland Road outfit as Southampton prevailed in the showpiece Wembley playoff final.

This time around though, Leeds will be determined to ensure there are no hiccups.

Truth be told, there seems to be a far more more stable feeling to Leeds than there was last summer, this despite the club losing the services of several key first-team personnel during pre-season, including 20-goal attacker Crycensio Summerville.

Summerville, Archie Gray and Charlie Cresswell have all bid farewell to the club over the past month or so, whilst the likes of Joe Rodon, Jaden Bogle and Joe Rothwell have arrived - with other big money acquisitions expected to follow.

This is a Leeds side that appear, at least on paper, perfectly equipped to sustain a title challenge over the coming nine months.

In the aftermath of Leeds' Wembley heartbreak, Farke vowed to use that pain to galvanise his troops and lead them back to the big league at the second time of asking.

Not since Sunderland back in 1997/98 had a club failed to win promotion from the Championship having registered 90 points. Like the Black Cats, they finished third and went on to lose in the play-off final.

Everyone of a Leeds persuasion will now hope that they can follow that trend by winning promotion in 2024/25, just like Sunderland did by winning the league title in 1998/99 - a year on from their own Wembley anguish.

Mark Mothershaw

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