There were a whole host of attacking players linked with Leeds United in the final few weeks of the transfer window as Daniel Farke made it publicly clear he wanted new additions.
Leeds failed to heed Farke’s demands as a move for Harry Wilson fell through at the last, with Fulham preventing the Welsh star’s exit. But Wilson was not the only attacking player eyed by The Whites.
Farke wanted a player who is versatile in attack, able to play a couple of positions. It saw Leeds linked with the likes of Nico Gonzalez, Facundo Buonanotte, Eduard Spertsyan, and then of course, Wales star Wilson.
Another player Leeds considered actually joined a different team, with Rasmus Kristensen and Robin Koch’s Frankfurt agreeing a £19m move to sign Ao Tanaka’s exciting Japan teammate Ritsu Doan.
Ritsu Doan in action for Japan.
Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images
Ritsu Doan wins August POTM award after choosing Frankfurt
Graham Smyth reported that Leeds were interested in signing 27-year-old Doan from Freiburg. When Smyth named a player of interest, then it is guaranteed the club were certainly interested in him.
Smyth said that he was a player they really liked and interestingly, Doan was not the only Japan star touted with a move to Elland Road in the summer. Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo was also an option.
SC Freiburg midfielder Ritsu Doan
Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images
But Doan chose to join Freiburg’s Bundesliga rivals Frankfurt for a fee of £19m and he has made a superb start. In his first three appearances, Doan has five goals and assists – scoring four goals and one assist.
Given his incredible stats, Doan has been announced as Frankfurt’s August Player of the Month. More frustration for Leeds, who for less than what they paid for Anton Stach, could have signed Doan.
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Ritsu Doan’s stats so far, he would have been superb for Leeds
Much like Tanaka, Doan made his name in Japan before heading for Germany. However, Tanaka only ever played in the second tier of German football with Dusseldorf. Doan is ripping it up in the Bundesliga.
But Doan moved to The Netherlands first and now at 27, he is entering the peak years of his career and with Japan likely to be a dark horse at next summer’s World Cup, Doan has the chance to really shine.
Club Spell Games Minutes Goals Assists Minutes per G+A
Youth to 2017 Gamba Osaka 25 1012 4 1 202.4
2017 to 2019 Groningen 66 5485 16 7 238.5
2019 to 2022 PSV Eindhoven 64 3575 13 6 188.2
2020 to 2021 (loan) Armenia Bielefeld 35 2864 5 2 409.1
2022 to 2025 Freiburg 123 9569 26 23 195.3
2025 to present Frankfurt 3 241 4 1 48.2
The more Doan continues to shine, the more Leeds will be frustrated. But he is not the only player to choose a Champions League club over Leeds in the past few months, like Igor Paixao and Buonanotte.