Focus will quickly turn elsewhere following James Trafford’s club-record signing.
Leeds United will soon welcome their third summer signing through the door with James Trafford close to a club-record move.
Trafford completed his medical this week and a deal worth £40million plus add-ons has been agreed with Manchester City. The 23-year-old will become Leeds’ most expensive ever transfer and the fourth most expensive goalkeeper in history.
Goalkeeper was a priority for Leeds this summer, particularly after Karl Darlow’s decision to join Manchester United as a free agent. But with Trafford’s arrival now all but confirmed, Elland Road chiefs can quickly turn their attention elsewhere...
Attacking quality
Igor Paixao has resurfaced as a potential Leeds United transfer target.placeholder image
Igor Paixao has resurfaced as a potential Leeds United transfer target. | AFP via Getty Images
Next on the shopping list for Leeds is another top-quality attacker, something they’ve been chasing all summer and someone to go alongside free agent arrival Harry Wilson. The Whites were in the mix for Julian Brandt but his decision to join Dutch outfit Ajax saw alternative options assessed.
Marseille winger Igor Paixao is among those options, with reports suggesting the Ligue 1 club need to sell players after failing to qualify for the Champions League. Like Wilson and Trafford, he was on the shortlist 12 months ago and so Leeds already know exactly the kind of player he is.
Whether it is Paixao - who is also on Aston Villa’s radar - or someone like Pavel Sulc remains to be seen but it’s clear Leeds want more quality to compete for those positions behind the striker. Chances are it will require another significant sum.
Striker competition
Dominic Calvert-Lewin needed about two minutes to reassert his importance to Leeds last weekend, instantly getting his side up the pitch in a pre-season friendly win over Liverpool. Two goals will have done him no harm either, albeit against an inexperienced opposition defence.
The worry at No.9 is about what happens when Calvert-Lewin is absent, and while that scenario rarely occurred last season it always feels possible. The unorthodox Lukas Nmecha proved a very effective goalscorer off the bench but his hold-up play was lacking and has shown little sign of improving so far this summer.
A near-£40m January bid for Jorgen Strand Larsen was evidence of Farke’s desire to strengthen the striker position and it's hard to imagine Leeds have moved on from that in the seven months since. Another, however, that will not come cheap and Trafford’s arrival will take this summer’s spend to £74m.
Left-back cover
The sight of Gabriel Gudmundsson going down and rubbing his hamstring during Sunday’s win over Liverpool was a stark reminder that Leeds lack left-footed defensive depth. They have one left-footed centre-back in new arrival Tarik Muharemovic and one left-footed full-back.
James Justin filled in on Sunday but his limitations were on show with a couple of poor crosses from promising positions. Leeds need someone who can provide more natural cover for Gudmundsson, someone who is equally comfortable bombing forward as they are defending.
Said cover should come cheaper than aforementioned targets further forward, but signing someone to essentially be back-up to a clear first-choice is no easy sell. Leeds essentially need a player who is good enough to almost maintain Gudmundsson’s level but also prepared to spend most of his time on the substitute's bench.