Leeds United set a high bar with their recruitment ahead of the club’s previous return to the Premier League in the summer of 2020. Can any other promoted team boast of signing a future Ballon d’Or contender having just climbed out of the Championship?
It was not only Raphinha, bought for £17 million from Rennes, who enhanced his value at Elland Road following a move that window. Robin Koch was playing in the latter stages of the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt last season, while Diego Llorente finished sixth in La Liga with Real Betis.
Marcelo Bielsa was in charge at the time, Victor Orta did the deals and much of what they touched turned to gold. Crysencio Summerville was an under-23 signing from Feyenoord who turned into a £25 million player for West Ham United. Loans for Helder Costa and Illan Meslier were made permanent and Jack Harrison was re-signed to provide continuity to the team that won the Championship during Covid.
Leeds start their season under the lights against Everton on Aug 18, giving the club the best part of two months to add to Daniel Farke’s squad and give them a shot at breaking the cycle of promoted teams struggling in the top flight.
At their Thorp Arch base, there is a very different feel to that in 2020 – and indeed more recent seasons. The club’s rise back to the Premier League five years ago was under the stewardship of chief executive Angus Kinnear, a respected official who got deals done efficiently. Orta was the firebrand director of football whose passion could spill over while watching games.
With Kinnear now at Everton, intermediaries have been speaking to Adam Underwood, who has worked his way up from the Leeds academy to be appointed sporting director. Assisted by Alex Davies, working as a head of recruitment, there has been a change of pace to the days when Orta would get back to agents with immediate answers.
So far, Leeds have agreed a two-year deal for Germany forward Lukas Nmecha, 26, which begins when his contract with Wolfsburg ends at the end of the month. Nmecha started in Manchester City’s academy and went on loan to Preston North End and Middlesbrough before heading to the Bundesliga.
Farke has also added centre-back Jaka Bijol to his squad after a deal was struck with Udinese for the Slovenian who played regularly over the past three seasons in Serie A. “The club and myself are ready for the Premier League,” he said when sealing a deal worth around £15 million.
Leeds have been looking at goalkeepers, with Meslier dropped for the final seven games of the season. Many believe that a goalkeeper arrival would be in the event of Meslier leaving, but there have been no official bids for the 25-year-old in this window. It is a buyers’ market for keepers in the Premier League. England international Sam Johnstone has lost his place at Wolves, while clubs are expected to look at Manchester City’s Stefan Ortega and whether he can be tempted by a No 1 slot.
It is understood there is genuine interest in Sweden left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson, who has played for Lille over the past four seasons. That could signal the sale of Junior Firpo, one of the players from the club’s last spell in the Premier League.
They have also looked at Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra – who is now set to join Sunderland – and Noah Sadiki at Union Saint-Gilloise. It will be down to Underwood to complete the deals. Intermediaries dealt with experienced executive Nick Hammond in recent windows until the changes behind the scenes.
Farke’s future is assured, with chairman Paraag Marathe giving the German his full backing. Farke got Norwich City promoted twice but has relegation on his CV and perhaps a point to prove in the top flight. “I have ended the speculation. He is my man,” Marathe said on BBC Radio Leeds. “I’m under no illusions that it is going to be easy. The past two seasons, the three promoted teams came straight back down but we have something they don’t have. We have Daniel Farke, first of all.”
Other issues that need resolving include Harrison, who is back at the club after a spell at Everton. Does he go on loan again?
Redevelopment work on Elland Road should start this season. The project, subject to full planning approval, involves adding about 20,000 seats and increasing the capacity beyond 50,000 to serve the long waiting list for season-tickets.
Plans were submitted based on Leeds being in the Premier League, which Farke delivered by smashing the 100-point barrier. Now the work is being done to keep them there.