Leeds United enjoyed an impressive recruitment drive during last summer’s transfer window, bringing in 10 new signings to strengthen the squad ahead of their Premier League return.
Backed by the 49ers, the Whites spent more than £100 million to complete those deals. Rather than focusing on Championship talent, the club targeted proven quality from some of Europe’s top leagues.
Players such as Anton Stach and Gabriel Gudmundsson arrived for reasonable fees and quickly showed why Leeds invested heavily in them.
However, while the club performed strongly in terms of arrivals, their outgoing business left plenty to be desired.
Leeds allowed 12 players to leave during the summer, but only two departures were permanent transfers. The remaining exits were temporary loan deals.
Max Wober, Isaac Schmidt, Mateo Joseph, Joe Gelhardt and Largie Ramazani were all sent out on loan as the club looked to trim the squad.
Now that the season has come to an end, several of those players are expected to return to Elland Road. At the moment, though, many of their loan clubs appear reluctant to make the moves permanent.
Joe Gelhardt looks the most likely to secure a full transfer after Hull City earned promotion to the Premier League. The Tigers’ sporting director has already confirmed the club’s interest in signing him.
Meanwhile, reports from Tribuna Deportiva claim Valencia are interested in completing a permanent deal for Largie Ramazani this summer. The Spanish side are said to be assessing multiple transfer decisions ahead of the new campaign.
According to the report, Valencia would only pursue a move for Ramazani if the financial terms become favourable.
Championship side Norwich City are also pushing strongly for the Belgian winger and are reportedly prepared to spend a substantial fee to land him.
Despite the growing interest, Leeds should seriously think about keeping Ramazani at the club.
The 25-year-old arrived last summer as a highly-rated attacking talent, and although injuries disrupted parts of his campaign, he still showed flashes of real quality.
His loan spell at Valencia also proved he can compete in a league of a similar standard to the Premier League.
Leeds struggled badly in wide areas for much of the season outside of Noah Okafor’s performances. Dan James battled recurring injuries, Wilfried Gnonto failed to consistently impress, while Jack Harrison departed on loan in January.
With that in mind, keeping Ramazani could provide Daniel Farke with another valuable attacking option heading into next season.
