49ers Enterprises face the biggest two weeks of their tenure as Leeds United owners.
Having already lost both Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter looks set to become the next big money exit of the summer.
Brighton & Hove Albion have agreed to activate Rutter’s £40 million release clause, with the Frenchman having reportedly decided he wants to make the move.
Leeds had already been in the market for three new signings before Rutter’s sale, and so they are now leaving themselves with an incredible amount of work to do in just two weeks.
Summerville and Rutter were the lynchpin of Leeds‘ attack last season, and regardless of the fees they are bringing in for both, it is difficult to see how they can replace that quality at this level.
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Leeds should ask for Julio Enciso in Brighton talks
Rutter’s sale will mean not a single club in Europe has made more money in player sales than Leeds this summer.
In contrast, and all be it in a higher division, Brighton have been one of the most ambitious clubs in the window, with deals to sign both Rutter and Ferdi Kadioglu taking their spending towards £200 million.
However, what the arrival of Rutter will mean is Brighton are absolutely stacked for options in those attacking areas of the pitch, and Leeds need to take advantage.
With no European football, rotation is not going to be as severe as it was under Roberto de Zerbi last season, and so several players may find themselves struggling for game time.
Someone who falls under that category is Julio Enciso, who plays in a position Leeds are now crying out for following Rutter’s departure.
Enciso is a number 10 with both an eye for goals and assists, and so after quite a difficult season in 2023/24, some regular game time could be what he needs.
Brighton paid £9.5 million to sign him two years ago, and Leeds should have the funds needed to sign him permanently.
However, if they have belief in his long-term potential, a loan could still help soften the blow for Leeds, given how desperate they are for attacking reinforcements.
Who could replace Rutter for Leeds’ trip to West Brom?
It really was a dismal evening for Leeds on Wednesday with news of Rutter’s exit proceeding a 3-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup.
Daniel Farke made eight changes to his side for the match, changing his entire front four. None of them really made a case they should be starting.
However, with Rutter now going to be out of Saturday’s squad, one of Brenden Aaronson or Joel Piroe are going to have to start at West Brom.
Once again, Piroe was utterly anonymous in that number 10 position and so Aaronson is going to have to be the one who gets the nod, even though both of his appearances so far have come off the left.
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