Leeds United are still reeling after a disastrous end to the summer transfer window, which has left Daniel Farke’s side looking down the barrel of relegation already.
The transfer window had got off to a strong start for Leeds United and optimism was high that Premier League survival could be achieved.
Daniel Farke smartly targeted experienced players with height and physicality to prepare his team for the combative top flight.
Leeds especially strengthened the defence and midfield by signing Anton Stach, Gabriel Gudmundsson and Lucas Perri, among others.
But there has been a severe lack of improvement at the opposite end of the pitch, with only three new attacking signings added in free transfer duo Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, as well as Noah Okafor.
Jack Harrison has returned from his loan at Everton, but that has hardly inspired fans, nor has allowing Largie Ramazani to join Valencia on loan.
Leeds did try and add more attacking players to their squad but, much to the fans’ frustration, made no new signings on deadline day.
Here are all the players they tried but failed to sign in the summer transfer window.
- Every player linked with Leeds in the transfer window: Latest fees and news on Daniel Farke’s targets
Leeds United failed to sign Harry Wilson after missing out on several attacking targets
When we look back in May, Leeds may well lament a summer transfer window of what-ifs.
The club spoke a big game, with chairman Paraag Marathe speaking up Leeds’ habit of being active late in the window only to come out empty-handed.
Leeds had ambitious targets, making moves for the likes of Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz and Feyenoord’s Igor Paixao, with the promise of big money being spent like Sunderland.
In the end, Leeds were scrapping through the bottom of the bargain bucket but still came out empty-handed.
Facundo Buonanotte from recently-relegated Leicester City was the top target, but when Chelsea gazumped them, there appeared to be few options left.
Fulham’s Harry Wilson emerged as a last resort on deadline day, but just when the deal seemed done, the Cottagers pulled the plug.
It’s a sorry state of affairs for Leeds and here is the comprehensive list of 48 targets missed out on in the summer transfer window:
- Callum Wilson – Went to West Ham United
- Kyle Walker-Peters – Went to West Ham United
- Djordje Petrovic – Went to Bournemouth
- Julian Weigl – Went to Al Qadsiyah
- Hugo Bueno – Stayed at Wolves
- Cameron Archer – Stayed at Southampton
- Ben Davies – Stayed at Tottenham
- Finn Dahmen – Stayed at Augsburg
- Moussa Djenepo – Went to Esteghlal
- Leonardo Balerdi – Stayed at Marseille
- Kalvin Phillips – Stayed at Manchester City
- Gustavo Hamer – Stayed at Sheffield United
- Nelson Semedo – Went to Fenerbahce
- Evan Ferguson – Went to Roma
- Semih Kilicsoy – Went to Cagliari
- Jamie Vardy – Went to Cremonese
- James McAtee – Went to Nottingham Forest
- Mateus Fernandes – Went to West Ham
- Nikola Krstovic – Went to Atalanta
- Otavio – Went to Paris FC
- Emi Buendia – Stayed at Aston Villa
- Jack Rudoni – Stayed at Coventry City
- Arnaud Kalimuendo – Went to Nottingham Forest
- Igor Paixao – Went to Marseille
- Igor Jesus – Went to Nottingham Forest
- Christantus Uche – Went to Crystal Palace
- Rodrigo Muniz – Stayed at Fulham
- Josh Sargent – Stayed at Norwich City
- Habib Diarra – Went to Sunderland
- Reinildo Mandava – Went to Sunderland
- Noah Sadiki – Went to Sunderland
- Raphael Onyedika – Stayed at Club Brugge
- Timothy Weah – Went to Marseille
- El Hadji Malick Diouf – Went to West Ham United
- Dominik Livakovic – Went to Girona
- Sonne Lammens – Went to Manchester United
- Bilal El Khannouss – Went to Stuttgart
- Mehdi Taremi – Went to Olympiakos
- Artem Dovbyk – Stayed at Roma
- Jota Silva – Stayed at Nottingham Forest
- Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Stayed at Lyon
- Facundo Buonanotte – Went to Chelsea
- Nico Gonzales – Went to Atletico Madrid
- Fotis Ionnidis – Went to Sporting
- Ritsu Doan – Went to Eintracht Frankfurt
- Ben Doak – Went to Bournemouth
- Dilane Bakwa – Went to Nottingham Forest
- Harry Wilson – Stayed at Fulham
Daniel Farke now thinks it will be hard for Leeds United to avoid Premier League relegation
Speaking after the goalless draw with Newcastle on Saturday, Farke made it clear that if more quality, especially in attacking areas, wasn’t signed by the deadline, then it would be ‘difficult’ to stay up.
Given Leeds failed to back their manager and meet his squad demands, a long season appears to be in store.
Leeds have competed well in the opening three games of the season and already have four points on the board, but have only managed to score once and that was from the penalty spot.
It is increasingly becoming the sense that a lack of goals is what will ultimately condemn the club back to the Championship.
Especially when you compare Leeds’ spending on firepower with Sunderland, who brought in two more forwards in Brian Brobbey and Bertrand Traore on deadline day.
As well as the dreadful closing stages of the window, in which Leeds were linked with several different attackers but didn’t manage to sign one, there was also the Sunderland narrative in the middle of the summer.
Sunderland joined Leeds in the Premier League after winning the Play-off final but showed far more ambition in the market, buoyed by the sales of Jobe Bellingham and Tommy Watson.
The Black Cats spent £181.6m on 14 players as they recruited high-calibre names like Granit Xhaka. Sunderland also beat Leeds to the signings of Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki and Reinildo Mandava.
They are looking far more likely to stay up than Leeds.
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