Leeds United are in for another tense second half of the season as the Championship’s automatic promotion battle looks set to go right down to the wire for the second successive year.
While Daniel Farke, his staff and the players will be laser-focused on what happens on the pitch, those behind-the-scenes don’t have that luxury.
Leeds‘ recruitment team will need to prepare for both the scenario of promotion to the Premier League, and remaining in the Championship to ensure they enter the summer well prepared.
A clear example of Leeds doing that earlier this year was Farke asking his recruitment department to prepare for the exits of Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville as early as January.
As shown by the recent struggles of the last six promoted teams, Leeds will have to be brutal when it comes to improving the squad if this season’s aim of returning to the top-flight is achieved.
However, here is a look at five players from Leeds’ current squad that could make the step up to the Premier League.
Ao Tanaka
Based on his first few months at Leeds, Ao Tanaka is arguably the most Premier League ready player at the club.
Tanaka’s agent has already suggested clubs could start calling soon but hopefully Leeds can go one better than last season to guarantee keeping him.
Neil Redfearn has already hailed Tanaka as ‘elite’ and since coming into the starting XI, he has won each of Leeds’ last two player of the month awards.
Tanaka is brilliant both in and out of possession and playing in the Championship, Leeds fans are yet to really see a single weakness in his game.
Ethan Ampadu
In Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu, Leeds already have a Premier League ready midfield pairing, though it is still yet to play together for any significant period.
Ampadu has experienced the Premier League before at both Chelsea and Sheffield United, but at the former game time was very limited, and at the latter he was at centre-back.
However, Ampadu has shown both for Leeds and Wales that his best position is in holding midfield. He is one of, if not the best in his role across the Championship and should be more than ready to step up.
Pascal Struijk
Many may view this selection with raised eyebrows considering Leeds’ defensive record last time they were in the Premier League, but he was hardly given the best conditions to shine.
Pascal Struijk‘s best run in the top-flight at Leeds came in their first season back when he was given a proper run in the side, looking more than at home.
His performances did, of course, get pretty poor by the end of Leeds’ third season, but it was clear he lost all of his confidence after Jesse Marsch’s left-back experiment with him.
The one question mark you could have against Struijk’s capacity to step up is his pace, but all his other attributes make him Premier League ready. Joe Rodon certainly isn’t far behind either.
Largie Ramazani
Following his arrival from UD Almeria in the summer, plenty of supporters have already classed Largie Ramazani as Leeds’ best attacker.
Until picking up an injury back in October, Ramazani scored three goals and provided one assist in six starts, with the attack seeming to function considerably better with him in the side.
In fact, Leeds didn’t lose a single one of the matches they played in that run with Ramazani in the side.
Ramazani is good with both feet, is a brilliant finisher and knows the right time to either dribble or pass. He also shone in a very poor Almeria side in La Liga.
Wilfried Gnonto
Despite almost 18 months in the Championship, you could still argue that Wilfried Gnonto‘s best run of form at Leeds was in the Premier League.
During the final couple of months under Marsch, Gnonto was arguably Leeds’ best player, picking up some impressive goals and assists, including away at Manchester United.
Gnonto hasn’t perhaps lit up the Championship as he would’ve liked, but as an Italian international, he is usually the player opposition defences like to double up on.
That isn’t likely to be the case in the Premier League, which is when Gnonto’s close control dribbling and end product could really come into his own.
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