Ethan Ampadu signs for Leeds: An ‘aggressive’ move with hope he’ll find settled home - The Athletic 19/7/23

By Phil Hay

It was not that Ethan Ampadu had been completely sidelined by Chelsea. Up until the end of last week, when a bid for him arrived from Leeds United, Chelsea had him down for their tour to the USA as part of Mauricio Pochettino’s pre-season squad. The club travelled on Monday and Ampadu expected to have a seat on the plane.

But at Stamford Bridge, if truth be told, they no longer spoke about Ampadu as a major development project. He could fly to the States and Pochettino might use him there. But when it got down to brass tacks, the cut and thrust of Premier League football, there was no real chance of him playing. Chelsea could see it, Ampadu could, too. And Leeds’ offer of £7million up front with £3m in add-ons was enough to generate a quick, positive response from both.

Chelsea have a history of making money on fringe players – a source of income that counter-balances the cash they spend new signings. While there were times when Ampadu carried a higher value than £10m ($13m) all-in, he was out of contract next summer and the London club see it as good money. Additionally, the deal includes a sell-on clause. For Leeds and the new ownership group that has taken full control at Elland Road, Ampadu is a significant first catch and a weighty investment after relegation to the Championship. And for the player himself, the transfer is a chance to settle down elsewhere, casting off his reputation as a serial loanee.

Since 2019 and a year-long move to RB Leipzig, Ampadu has been on the temporary merry-go-round: loaned to Sheffield United, Venezia and Spezia, all of whom were relegated in the seasons he played for them. He was a centre-back when it suited, a defensive midfielder on other occasions and although each spell increased his experience and gave him a rewarding international career with Wales, the door at Chelsea has been closing for a while. Ampadu was keen to go this summer. He is 22 and he was not angling to extend his contract at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea, for their part, were happy to cash in while he retained some value. Leeds saw an opportunity and, with a new ownership model to tempt him with, were able to persuade Ampadu that by coming to the Championship, he would make it back into the Premier League.

Paying £7m for Ampadu is the first sign of how 49ers Enterprises, the fund which officially bought Leeds outright on Monday, intends to go at this window. There are limits on how much the group can invest in the EFL. There are also financial fair play pressures that will have to be managed. But for as long as its takeover from Andrea Radrizzani was awaiting approval, the talk was of an aggressive approach to the transfer market: aggressive in terms of the players Leeds tried to sign and aggressive in terms of the players they tried to retain. Ampadu represents a big splash in the sense that a £10m agreement is a relatively sizeable package in the Championship. The club, for now, are no longer in the business of breaking their transfer record by committing £30m to a target such as Georginio Rutter. Ampadu’s arrival is likely to switch attention to finding a new goalkeeper, with Newcastle United’s Karl Darlow very high on the list of options.

Daniel Farke, Leeds’ new head coach, needed to see some movement like this. He was pragmatic when he took the job at Elland Road in accepting that relegation, a renegotiated buy-out of Radrizzani and a shorter-than-usual summer would complicate Leeds’ recruitment. But his insistence on taking the title of manager was an indication of how big a part he wanted to play in shaping the first-team squad. It was no ‘head-coach’ set-up in which players would be foisted on him. Farke had the final say on signing Ampadu, and spoke to him personally to convince him to join. The agreement is that any targets Leeds go after will be ultimately dictated by Farke. Getting Ampadu over the line is proof that Leeds will have a level of financial clout in the EFL, in spite of the strain demotion from the Premier League always causes.

In many ways, the past 24 hours have, after a period of inertia, been typical of a club takeover: a pregnant pause breaking and leading to a splurge of activity, constituting a buy-out being completed, a high-profile signing materialising and changes to the scouting and technical department falling into place. United’s new chairman, Paraag Marathe, spoke yesterday on the club’s official podcast about trying to hit the ground running. “The truth is we want to get right back up as quick as we can,” he said. “We’ll be as aggressive as we can be.”

The question for Farke, who tried to take Ampadu to Norwich in 2020, will be where precisely to use him; whether to tap into his reputation for versatility or to nail him down in one established position. Opinions on Ampadu’s strengths have varied from manager to manager and from season to season, asking a player who grew up as a midfielder to adapt to a role in the centre of defence.

At Chelsea, Antonio Conte liked Ampadu’s attitude and the aggression in his play but, on the few occasions when he used him, was inclined to shift him between positions. Maurizio Sarri did not consider Ampadu to be a centre-back but could not make him work in the Jorginho midfield role either. He was a central defender on loan at Sheffield United, a defensive midfielder more regularly at Venezia and a bit of both at Spezia. Wales prefer him as a deep-lying presence in front of their backline, perhaps the position Ampadu likes best and perhaps where Farke will get most out of him. It was where Ampadu was earmarked to feature when Norwich attempted to loan him three years ago.

Finding a good, consistent balance in that zone will be crucial for Farke, who likes to stack two deeper midfielders in behind his attacking line of three and a lone centre-forward. He had Oliver Skipp on loan from Tottenham in his second promotion year at Norwich City and he would have gladly taken Skipp again at Leeds but the 22-year-old made a good number of appearances for Spurs last season and, in any case, would not be remotely cheap. United are still not certain if Tyler Adams — someone Ampadu knows from his year at Leipzig — will be with them beyond the end of the transfer window and, having allowed Marc Roca to join Real Betis, the centre of midfield is one area where places are there to be had.

While Farke is expected to focus on playing Ampadu there, he is believed to be keeping an open mind about using him as a defender in certain circumstances. Leeds like the fact he has the ability to handle more than one position.

The best of Ampadu has shown him to be comfortable on the ball and with both feet. Farke envisages Leeds as a possession-based side and Ampadu is heading into that environment aiming to make himself stick. Between Sarri’s time at Chelsea and his loan at Leipzig, Ampadu barely played. The thought of him breaking through properly at Stamford Bridge was largely lost to that period. At Sheffield United, Venezia and Spezia, he was met with different tactical styles to Chelsea’s and embroiled in a relegation battle on each occasion. The offer from Leeds was a very different ticket: to sign for four years with the option of a fifth, to have a crack at promotion and embrace a league where Ampadu should have all the talent he needs to flex his muscles and thrive.

Leeds will want this transfer to help be the making of them, and the making of him.