Leeds United are renowned for signing players young and with the help of Thorp Arch academy, they are able to maximise their skill and go on to enjoy wonderful senior careers.
Just look at the current Leeds side. Mateo Joseph, Pascal Struijk, Crysencio Summerville, Illan Meslier, Willy Gnonto and Charlie Crew have all been recruited by the Leeds academy while still in their teenage years.
They are now key players in this Leeds side. Summerville was bought for £1.3m and is set for a move to West Ham in a deal that could reach £34m, if the £9m worth of add-ons for Summerville are met.
But some don’t make it at Leeds despite being brought to the club. Sean McGurk moved to Swindon in January, Sam Greenwood is out on loan again and Joe Gelhardt is struggling to build on early promise.
Max Dean shines for new club on debut after £2m transfer
Dean was lured to Leeds as a 15-year-old from Everton in 2019, another example of the club signing potential gems and combining their natural ability with the wonderful Thorp Arch academy process.
Dean played 38 times for the club’s U21 side and scored an impressive 16 goals for the second string. With Mark Jackson at MK Dons, he lured Dean to League Two in January 2023 and starred for them.
After a slow start, Dean ended up with stats of 20 goals and five assists in 43 games in all competitions. Obviously, that attracted admirers but not many could have predicted his next move, moving to Belgium.
Gent debut sees Dean score in Europe Conference League
Gent paid MK Dons a fee which could exceed more than £2m this summer, becoming the second English player at Gent. Archie Brown is also at Gent, a left-back that has been linked with a move to Leeds before.
On Thursday night, Gent played their second leg against Vikingur from the Faroe Islands. After a 4-1 first leg win, Dean was given the last half hour and laid on an assist before scoring a penalty, Gent’s third.
A brilliant start for Dean in Belgium and another example of the Thorp Arch academy producing a top talent. Maybe, one that Leeds have let slip through the net when they shouldn’t have as Dean shines.
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