Leeds’ transfer window reviewed: Few shenanigans but painful sales and Farke left wanting — The Athletic 3/9/24
By Nancy Froston
For a few hours on Saturday afternoon, focus finally
returned to the football at Elland Road.
It has been a loud summer at Leeds United.
What should have been a period of calm preparation for the
new season ended up becoming a rebuild. Eleven outgoings (not including
released players) and eight signings brought anger, panic and finally, a degree
of hope that they now have a squad with enough quality to win Premier League
promotion this season.
The positives of the weekend’s 2-0 Championship home win
against Hull City should have put a neat bow on Leeds’ summer business, which
closed 16 hours before kick-off. Instead, manager Daniel Farke’s comments
raised more questions about a window that was full of them.
Did Farke get what he wanted? Crucially, did he get what he
feels Leeds need if they are to do better than last season’s painful promotion
near-miss? His repeated mentioning of the signings’ lack of Championship
experience — and, save for Manor Solomon, experience of any kind in English
football — shows he sees Leeds as a ‘work in progress’ side.
“We are not the finished product,” he said. “It’s not like
we have the individual quality like last season, where perhaps an opponent is
sitting deep and then we have the magic of Cree (Crysencio Summerville, sold to
West Ham for £25million) or Georginio Rutter (gone to Brighton for £40m), who
can, with one situation, cut an opponent to pieces.
“We have still got work to do and for that, it’s fair to
say, after so many key players left us, who in this league were dominating in
their position, we maybe don’t have the brand any more to be the big favourite.
We brought interesting players in but also players who are not completely
proven or mature at this level, so for that, it’s a bit early to praise them
right now and their qualities.”
With eight points from their first four league games, Leeds
sit fourth in English football’s second tier and have navigated a bumpy first
month of the season and come out of it in a decent position.
Here’s how their transfer window went…
Was this window a success or a failure?
How Leeds perform this season will entirely dictate this
answer but, based on what we know right now, there are reasons to look at a
topsy-turvy summer positively.
Losing Archie Gray, Summerville and Rutter to Premier League
clubs for a combined £105million ($138m) will be seen as a success story for
Leeds’ recruitment department and academy if their replacements can fill the
gaps left by their departures. Sales were necessary to keep within the EFL’s
profit and sustainability rules (PSR) this summer and making profits on players
is good football business, but so many high-quality exits at once has not been
ideal.
The smaller-scale outgoings and tidying up of the squad by
moving on fringe players Marc Roca, Diego Llorente and Rasmus Kristensen, among
others, was also a success.
Providing Farke with a squad who are willing and able to
contribute to the cause was important after the upheaval of players choosing to
go out on loan or trying to force exits last summer following Leeds’ relegation
from the Premier League. This year, after narrowly missing out on automatic
promotion and then losing to Southampton in the Championship play-off final,
was free of such shenanigans.
Time will tell if this summer’s window has been a success
but the level of overhaul — when it previously looked like Leeds would get away
with one high-profile sale and some minor tweaks to the squad — was more
extensive than anticipated. It is why Farke said “much work is needed”
following the close of the window to ensure talented young players can take
their time to reach their potential, while also helping the team’s short-term
goal of returning to the top flight next spring.
Farke’s many caveats when speaking about the window hint he
might not be perfectly happy with how it all unfolded, but he is committed to
working with the players he has.
If Leeds again fail to win promotion, expect plenty of
finger-pointing over how the summer of 2024 unfolded and the long shadows of
the surprise release clauses in the contracts of three of their stars.
How much did they spend and how much did they bring in?
The three big sales of Gray to Tottenham for a total package
worth up to £40million, Summerville to West Ham and Rutter to Brighton raised
substantial funds.
Gray’s fee was crucial in resolving the outstanding PSR
issues (Leeds were known to be close to the EFL’s limit on allowed losses),
while all three came as a result of Premier League clubs meeting release
clauses in their respective contracts. There were also bonus incomings of
around £8million for Glen Kamara, who joined Rennes, £3.8m for Charlie
Cresswell’s move to their fellow French side Toulouse, around £4m from Roca’s
move to Real Betis and in the region of £2.5m for Llorente, also to that
Spanish club.
All in, that is a rough figure in excess of £120million.
As for players coming the other way, Joe Rodon sealed a
permanent return after last season’s successful loan when his £10million move
from Spurs was concluded alongside the deal for Gray to go in the other
direction. Adding to the defensive recruits were full-backs Jayden Bogle (£5m
from Sheffield United) and Isaac Schmidt (an initial £2.5m from Switzerland’s
St Gallen). Goalkeeper Alex Cairns signed from Salford City for a nominal fee
while central midfielder Ao Tanaka (around £3m from Fortuna Dusseldorf in
Germany) and winger Largie Ramazani (£9m from Spanish club Almeria) completed
the permanent transfers.
That is an approximate total spend of just under £30million,
before any potential add-ons.
Who seems like the standout signing?
Tanaka. The deadline-day buy looked a class act in a brief
cameo off the bench against Hull just hours later, retaining and moving the
ball well in the centre of the park. It is still early days in terms of knowing
how he can make the transition from Germany’s second division to its English
equivalent but the 27-cap Japan international arrives as a very highly-rated
recruit.
While the need to recruit at other positions became more
pressing as the window progressed, Farke made clear he wanted more
central-midfield options and Leeds finally landed Tanaka at the end of it.
As a replacement for Kamara, who moved on after just one
season at Elland Road, he should offer more than the Finland international
offensively. With an eye for goal from range and plenty of athletic ability,
the 25-year-old should complement Ethan Ampadu well. His ability to roam as a
box-to-box player makes him a different prospect to Ampadu or Ilia Gruev, and
should he navigate the transition to the Championship, it is easy to see him
starting ahead of Joe Rothwell.
Having been signed for around £3million, Tanaka could prove
a bargain with a very high ceiling if all goes to plan.
Who could be the surprise package?
Schmidt. As Leeds’ last signing of the window late on
Friday, the fans have not had a chance to see him in action yet but the former
Switzerland Under-19 international, now 24, seems like a versatile addition to
the squad.
He can play either full-back spot — although judging by his
positional profile, he is something of a (wait for it) Swiss army knife. With
55 professional games as a left-back, nine at right-back, 13 playing
left-winger/left midfield and five in central midfield, Schmidt can also do a
job further forward if needed, and played at European level with St Gallen last
season.
A more low-key arrival than some of the forward players
added this summer, Schmidt should provide good competition for Bogle, Junior
Firpo and Sam Byram. There is room for a well-rounded full-back offering
offensive threat and defensive security in the pack, and Schmidt is at the
right age to grow with this side as Leeds target promotion.
Will any of their exits hurt them?
Yes. The big three were all crucial last season, although
both Gray and Summerville feel replaceable. Rutter, though an imperfect player
who still needed to iron out some kinks in his game, feels like he leaves a
bigger hole, not least because Leeds were unable to land a No 10 before the
deadline. A combined 27 goals and the same number of assists from last season
departed with him and Summerville.
The most painful departure from an emotional standpoint,
however, was that of Gray. His move did little to boost Leeds’ owner 49ers
Enterprises’ credit with fans and will sting for a long time due to his
progress through their academy and deep ties to the club as the third
generation of his family to pull on the white shirt.
Are there still any obvious gaps in the team?
A specialist No 10 was vital, but Leeds failed to land
anyone that met their requirements before the end of the window.
Brighton’s ability to trigger Rutter’s release clause in the
final hours before it expired left the club with just a few weeks to find a
replacement and it proved beyond them.
The time limitation on Rutter’s clause was designed
precisely to avoid a situation where Leeds would be left short but it is where
they now find themselves, with Brenden Aaronson and Joel Piroe sharing the role
early in the season. Neither can operate in the way Rutter did but should offer
different types of build-up play.
Farke will make do, but the question of whether Leeds could
have spent more to get what they needed remains.
What is their strongest XI now the window is shut?
Illan Meslier; Bogle, Rodon, Pascal Struijk, Firpo; Ampadu,
Tanaka, Aaronson; Solomon, Gnonto, Mateo Joseph.
The full list of ins and outs
IN
Joe Rodon (£10million) — Tottenham
Largie Ramazani (£9m) — Almeria
Jayden Bogle (£5m) — Sheffield United
Ao Tanaka (£3m) — Fortuna Dusseldorf
Isaac Schmidt (£2.5m) — St Gallen
Alex Cairns (nominal) — Salford City
Manor Solomon (loan) — Tottenham
Joe Rothwell (loan) — Bournemouth
OUT
Georginio Rutter (£40million) — Brighton
Archie Gray (up to £40m) — Tottenham
Crysencio Summerville (£25m) — West Ham
Glen Kamara (£8m) — Rennes
Marc Roca (£4m) — Real Betis
Charlie Cresswell (£3.8m) — Toulouse
Diego Llorente (£2.5m) — Real Betis
Rasmus Kristensen (loan) — Eintracht Frankfurt
Sam Greenwood (loan) — Preston North End
Darko Gyabi (loan) — Plymouth Argyle
Sonny Perkins (loan) — Leyton Orient.