Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke had to deal with a frustrating summer transfer window as a number of his stars moved on from Elland Road.
The Whites lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley back in May and that meant that they failed to achieve promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Archie Gray was the first player to move on from the club as Tottenham Hotspur swooped in to sign the teenage midfielder, who also operated at right-back, for a fee of up to £40m.
Brighton & Hove Albion also smashed their club record to sign Georginio Rutter from Leeds for a reported fee of £40m, to bolster their attacking options.
Crysencio Summerville was sold to Premier League side West Ham United for a fee that could rise up to £34m, after he won the Championship Player of the Year award.
Leeds will now be hoping to achieve promotion at the second time of asking, as they have a number of players who could follow in Gray, Rutter, and Summerville’s footsteps next summer if they remain in the Championship.
Leeds United's potential Premier League stars
Farke’s team are currently third in the division and there are several stars in the squad who could attract interest from the major leagues across Europe, including the Premier League, if they continue to perform.
One of them is central defender Pascal Struijk, who has provided a solid presence at the heart of the defence as a left-footed colossus for the Whites. He has won 61% of his duels and completed 92% of his attempted passes across 18 appearances in the second tier.
His strength in physical battles and his calmness and reliability in possession could help him to make the jump up to the top-flight, with the increased physicality and technical ability that comes with it.
Central midfielder Ao Tanaka has also thrived in the middle of the park for Leeds. He has completed 92% of his attempted passes and made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game, which shows that the Japan international can couple defensive combativeness with composure on the ball.
Wilfried Gnonto, who produced two goals and four assists in 24 games in the 2022/23 Premier League season, will be hoping to showcase a better version of himself if he gets another chance to in the top-flight.
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The Italy U21 international has scored three goals and created eight ‘big chances’ for his teammates across 18 appearances in the Championship so far this term, as he has showcased his ability to make a big impact in the final third.
Whilst these players are currently starring in the side week-in-week-out, Leeds also have a talented prospect with the potential to develop into a valuable asset in the future in the form of Mateo Joseph.
Mateo Joseph is a £30m star in the making
Per FBref, Norwich City centre-forward Josh Sargent is one of the most similar players to the Spain U21 international based on their respective statistics in the 2024/25 campaign. In fact, they both rank as the number one most similar player to each other.
This shows how impressive the Leeds academy graduate has been in his appearances in the Championship this term, as the Canaries star is one of the top forwards in the league.
As you can see in the chart above, they both rank incredibly similarly as scorers and creators of goals, with both players offering their team a creative threat from a number nine position.
In the summer transfer window, it was reported that Norwich wanted a fee of around £30m for the USA international, who was signed from Werder Bremen by current Leeds boss Farke for a fee of £8m in the summer of 2021.
Appearances
26
12
Goals
16
4
Big chances created
3
4
Assists
2
5
Duel success rate
46%
43%
As you can see in the table above, Sargent has proven himself to be a fantastic scorer and creator of goals in the Championship for the Canaries, with a return of 20 goals and seven assists in 38 games since the start of last season.
Leeds were even linked, by Football Insider, with an interest in signing the forward from Norwich in the summer of 2023, in Farke’s first window, but the German head coach can now unearth his own version of the £30m-rated star with Joseph.
Farke can hit the jackpot with Mateo Joseph
The former Canaries tactician can hit gold with the Spanish youngster by helping him to fulfill his potential and emerge as a top-quality centre-forward option in the months and years to come.
Joseph, who scored 19 goals in 33 appearances for the club at U21 level, did not start any of his 20 matches in the Championship during the 2023/24 campaign, as Farke slowly bedded him into the senior squad.
This season, however, the manager has offered the academy graduate more opportunities to shine from the start for the Whites, and there have been plenty of promising signs, as shown by his statistical similarities to Sargent.
Joseph, who has been described as “dynamite” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, ranks in the top 6% of forwards in the division for assists (0.31) per 90 and the top 16% for successful take-ons (0.93) per 90 this season, which shows that he is a dynamic striker who can take players on and create for his teammates.
Appearances
18
Starts
9
xG
3.44
Goals
2
Big chances created
4
Assists
3
As you can see in the table above, the 21-year-old marksman has underperformed in front of goal but his xG does show that the forward is getting into good positions.
Hopefully, Joseph’s finishing will improve with more experience as he learns what to do in certain situations in front of goal, as the youngster has only started nine league games in his career so far and has plenty left to learn.
If he can develop his finishing and retain his impressive creativity as a centre-forward then Farke could have a £30m player on his hands, as Joseph could be on Sargent’s level as a lethal scorer and creator at Championship level.
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1 ByDan Emery
