Leeds United appear to have turned down what could’ve been the bargain of the summer, and it could quickly come back to haunt Daniel Farke.
Leeds United are clearly looking for some deals in the transfer market this summer. Despite having a £150million transfer budget, Leeds’ spending so far has been well-managed, not exceeding the £15million fee for Jaka Bijol.
But Sean Longstaff could yet command that same amount or more. Leeds United are trying to sign Longstaff but reports state that Newcastle United have now rejected three bids from Leeds, with one bid understood to be at least £12million.
With so many new players to sign, Daniel Farke looks unlikely to break the bank to sign any big money players this summer, as his spending so far suggests. But for less than £10million he could’ve signed Sem Steijn.
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Who is Sem Steijn? Leeds United could’ve signed him this summer
An emerging report from Dutch outlet Tubantia has revealed how Leeds United were one of the teams to look into a deal for now Feyenoord midfielder Sem Steijn this summer: the 23-year-old midfielder who scored an incredible 27 goals in 35 Eredivisie games last season, with seven assists, winning the Golden Boot and the league’s Player of the Year award.
But the same report states that Leeds United were only considering a move for Steijn if they had remained in the second tier going into this season. Feyenoord signed the Dutchman at the start of the summer for just €11million (£9.5million) and Tubantia say that Feyenoord were stunned by how easy the deal proved.
Leeds and Italian side Genoa showed interest, albeit very little, leaving Robin van Persie’s side in the clear to sign the former FC Twente man, and in what seems like a real bargain deal too.
Why Leeds United passed up on a deal for Sem Steijn
On the surface, it certainly looks like Leeds have dropped the ball here: a prolific no.10, who’s young and was available for relatively cheap. But there might be some thinking behind why Leeds didn’t pull the trigger.
Going into this summer, it was reported that Leeds United want to sign players with Premier League experience. Behind the scenes at Elland Road, it’s understood that a lack of top flight experience contributed to the club’s Premier League relegation in 2023.
And Steijn just doesn’t have that Premier League experience. Whilst none of Leeds’ signings so far have experience of the Premier League, they have more first-team experience than Steijn does, which might explain why Leeds United turned down a deal.
But that reason alone might be feeble. If Leeds really did only see Steijn as a Championship option then fans might question what kind of player Farke wants for the no.10 position this summer, with that position a real key one this summer.
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