The mood around Leeds in terms of recruitment right now is one of slight regret.
As Sunderland sit fourth and show what shrewd recruitment can do, Leeds are 16th in the Premier League and are yet to see much success from any new arrival, Sean Longstaff aside.
The 49ers therefore have work to do in the winter transfer window if the situation remains the same, and Leeds continue to struggle for goals under Daniel Farke – only Nottingham Forest and Wolves have scored fewer this term.
There remains some time to go until the January window opens, but Graeme Bailey – Chief Correspondent for Leeds United News – has offered some encouragement amid the rise of Yan Diomande.
Graeme Bailey says Leeds fans should be excited by Red Bull discovering Yan Diomande
Red Bull boldly signed the 18-year-old wonderkid in a £17.6m move from Leganes in July, paying his lofty release clause despite the fact he only had ten senior appearances to his name.
Bailey said Leeds will not be signing the Ivory Coast international, but his instant impact at RB Leipzig – where he can boast three goals and three assists in ten games so far – offers fans hope for future windows.
MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES
The Leeds United News insider said: “Yan Diomande is arguably the most talked about young player in footballing, agency and scouting circles – this boy is hot!
“We already know one of Red Bull’s teams – Rangers – missed out on Diomande. They had him on trial 12 months ago from his American private academy.
“The Scottish giants did not do a deal, but instead Spanish second division side Leganes brought him to Europe in January this year, but come the summer Red Bull took him to Leipzig for €20m (£17.6m) – a remarkable amount for a player who had been playing professionally for a matter of months.
“He has now arrived in Germany and is emerging as one of the most wanted players in Europe. Indeed I am told Red Bull think he is possibly their finest prospect since Erling Haaland.
“Leeds fans, I am not getting your hopes up – you are not signing Diomande. However, this whole scenario shows that Red Bull’s scouting network is on par with anything in the world, which should give Leeds United fans some real hope that they are soon going to be plucking some top talent from around the world too.”
Yan Diomande in action for RB Leipzig
Photo by RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images
The teenager is understood to now be valued in the region of £88m after just ten games for RB Leipzig.
Leeds need instant results
While this move was an admirable one from RB Leipzig, Leeds – who want Ismael Saibari – might end up needing something different this winter if Farke’s side remain close to the bottom three.
Leeds signed a similar profile to Diomande in Georginio Rutter back in January 2023 amid a relegation battle, spending £35.5m on the Frenchman – aged just 20 at the time – and all eyes were immediately on him, expecting the youngster to be a saviour.
It was a difficult environment for a young talent to play in, and Leeds ultimately went down.
Rutter – who Sam Allardyce said did not look good enough – unsurprisingly made little impact that term given the circumstances, so a signing like Diomande may have to wait until the summer.