For Leeds United, this summer’s transfer business will likely be heavily geared towards the here and now, and beating the drop next season. But don’t think Daniel Farke won’t have an eye on the future, too.
So far this summer Leeds United have signed four players who’ll bring experience, depth and quality to his side, in Jaka Bijol, Lukas Nmecha, Gabriel Gudmundsson and Sebastiaan Bornauw.
The last to arrive was Swedish international Gudmundsson. Leeds United announce that they’ve signed Gudmundsson this week in a £10million deal from Lille, and his arrival has overshadowed the signing of a couple of youth players.
Leeds have brought in Jayden Lienou from Man City and Louis Enahoro-Marcus after he left Liverpool.
The pair will go straight into the Leeds youth teams and for Daniel Farke, it’s certainly a couple of players to keep an eye on, and a potentially huge indication into what else he might have planned this summer.
Daniel Farke and Paraag Marathe speak after Leeds win the Championship trophy.
Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images
Leeds United’s transfer policy this summer has already been laid bare
Last time in the Premier League, the Whites didn’t have all that many players with experience, nor many players with Premier League experience. And whilst none of this summer’s arrivals have Premier League experience per se, Leeds are working on signing Sean Longstaff who has bags of it, with links to names like Callum Wilson, Jamie Vardy, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin too.
It’s inevitable Farke will add Premier League experience to his ranks this summer. In fact, going into the summer transfer window, it was reported that Leeds United want to sign Premier League-proven players this summer.
And even with so much work to do on the first-team squad this summer, Farke is casting the net out to youngsters like Lienou and Enahoro-Marcus. It suggests a broader project is underway at Leeds United, despite the immediate goal being to avoid Premier League relegation, and it could even hint at a potential blockbuster signing this summer.
Netherlands U19s player Kees Smith before a game against England u19s.
Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images
MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES
Could Leeds United actually sign Kees Smit this summer?
With Leeds’ spending having so far been limited to, say £15million for Bijol, it suggests that we could yet see one or two real marquee signings from Farke later in the window. And given how he’s clearly keen on adding some youth to the side, we could even see Kees Smit become a real prime transfer target at Elland Road.
Recent reports have revealed how Leeds United are in the race to sign Smit who’s just scooped the Player of the Tournament award at the U19s Euros with the Netherlands. Currently at AZ, he has interest from across Europe with the likes of Real Madrid rumoured to be keeping tabs on the 19-year-old.
And he’s one of very few young players of any note to be linked with Leeds this summer. Given all the signs, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Farke pays up Smit’s rumoured £25million price tag and brings in a player that’s both young, and likely able to contribute to the first-team straight away.