Leeds United look set for a busy end to the summer transfer window as Daniel Farke and the club only have until Friday night to finish their business.
The Whites finally landed an attacking addition last week with the signing of Largie Ramazani on a permanent deal from Almeria to bolster their options out wide.
Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, Crysencio Summerville, and Georginio Rutter have all moved on from Elland Road this summer, to Tottenham Hotspur, Rennes, West Ham United, and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively.
In response to a number of their key players departing West Yorkshire, Leeds have signed Joe Rothwell, Joe Rodon, Alex Cairns, and Jayden Bogle alongside Ramazani.
There looks set to be more to come for the Whites before the summer transfer window slams shut this week, as up to three more signings could come through the door.
Football Insider claims that Manor Solomon is set to join on a season-long loan from Premier League side Spurs to add to Farke’s wide options.
The report adds that the West Yorkshire outfit would also like to bring in another left-back to compete with Junior Firpo and a new midfielder.
Bringing in new midfielders and attackers could be a boost for the club’s current number nine Mateo Joseph, who looks set to be the breakthrough star of the season.
Mateo Joseph’s emergence this season
The Spain U21 international made 20 appearances in the Championship last season but all of his outings in the division came as a substitute.
Patrick Bamford, Rutter, and Joel Piroe were all preferred ahead of him at various points in the centre-forward position as Leeds made it all the way to the play-off final, where they lost 1-0 to Southampton.
This season, however, Joseph has started all three of the club’s matches in the Championship so far, which suggests that Farke now trusts the academy graduate to play regular minutes at senior level after his exposure to the first-team last term.
|
24/25 Championship |
Mateo Joseph |
|---|---|
|
Starts |
3 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Big chances missed |
1 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Big chances created |
3 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.3 |
As you can see in the table above, the Thorp Arch-trained talent has showcased his creativity from a centre-forward role, with two assists in three games.
Both of those assists came in the 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday last week, as his chop inside set up Brenden Aaronson to open the scoring before the striker produced a stunning through ball for Dan James to make it 2-0 in the second half.
Meanwhile, his teammates have only created one ‘big chance’ for him to find the back of the net, as shown by his return of zero goals and one ‘big chance’ missed.
This means that Joseph has created three times as many ‘big chances’ for his fellow attackers as they have for him, despite the 20-year-old being the starting striker.
With this in mind, Farke could land an exciting signing for the former England youth international by swooping to snap up one of the club’s reported targets.
Leeds keen on Championship wizard
Football Insider reported last week that Leeds are interested in a potential move to sign Queens Park Rangers attacking midfielder Ilias Chair before the end of the summer transfer window.
The outlet claimed that the Whites are plotting a ‘last-gasp’ swoop for the Morocco international to bolster their midfield options for the 2024/25 campaign.
It was stated that the West Yorkshire side view him as a possible replacement for Rutter, who joined Brighton earlier this month, in the number ten position.
Football Insider added that Chair is in the final 12 months of his contract with the London outfit and Leeds are ready to tempt the R’s into cashing in on him.
If QPR do not sell the midfield wizard this window then they will risk losing him for nothing next year if he refuses to put pen to paper on an extension with the Championship side.
However, the report did not outline how much the Whites would be willing to offer or how much it would take for Marti Cifuentes’ team to consider selling the talented ace.
Why Ilias Chair would be an exciting signing for Mateo Joseph
Leeds must push to secure a deal for Chair before the window slams shut this week because the 26-year-old magician is a proven Championship performer who could be an exciting signing for Joseph.
The Morocco international has missed the start of this season with a back injury and may not be immediately available for the Whites whilst he recovers, but his form in recent seasons in the second tier suggests that it would be worth the wait.
Firstly, the £6.9k-per-week ace scored 12 goals in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaign combined, with seven goals from 6.33 xG for QPR last season, which suggests that he could offer a goalscoring threat from a number ten or wide role.
This means that Chair could offer Joseph some support on that front and take some of the pressure off the Spaniard to find the back of the net himself.
The QPR maestro would also be a dream signing for the Leeds academy graduate due to his impressive ability to create chances at Championship level.
|
Ilias Chair |
22/23 Championship |
23/24 Championship |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
40 |
44 |
|
Sofascore rating |
7.12 |
7.26 |
|
Key passes per game |
2.4 |
1.9 |
|
Big chances created |
12 |
11 |
|
xA |
N/A |
8.34 |
|
Assists |
9 |
8 |
As you can see in the table above, Chair has consistently provided quality as a creator of chances and goals from an attacking midfield or wide position in the second tier.
He has racked up an eye-catching 17 assists and 23 ‘big chances’ created in the last two Championship season, which shows that the ability is there for him to constantly split open opposition defences to create opportunities for his teammates.
Chair, who was once described as an “exciting” prospect by ex-Brighton striker Glenn Murray, could be a dream for Joseph by providing plenty of passes and crosses for the striker to score goals.
The forward has only had one ‘big chance’ created for him so far this season and these statistics suggest that the QPR ace would provide a much-needed boost in that regard.
