Leeds agree 12th exit deal, senior squad may cut to just 21 players



Leeds United are heading towards a frantic ending to the summer transfer window, with the 49ers now green-lighting another exit for a member of Daniel Farke’s squad.

The Whites have made five additions this summer, but that figure does not tell the whole story. Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic, James Trafford, Nico Elvedi and Michael Zetterer have all arrived at Elland Road, with the latter officially becoming Leeds’ latest signing on Saturday.

However, there has been significant movement in the opposite direction.

Player

Position

Joined

Deal

Pascal Struijk

Centre-back

Brighton

Permanent

Joe Gelhardt

Centre-forward

Hull City

Permanent

Isaac Schmidt

Right-back

Young Boys

Permanent

Sebastiaan Bornauw

Centre-back

Hamburg

Loan

Jack Harrison

Left wing

New England

Permanent

Illan Meslier

Goalkeeper

Arsenal

Permanent

Maximilian Wöber

Centre-back

Schalke 04

Permanent

Sam Byram

Right-back

Middlesbrough

Permanent

Karl Darlow

Goalkeeper

Man Utd

Permanent

Lucas Perri

Goalkeeper

Torino

Loan

Joel Piroe

Centre-forward

West Ham

Loan

That turnover means Farke could desperately use further reinforcements in the final days of the window, something he admitted after the 1-1 draw with Brentford on Sunday.

Farke specifically highlighted a shortage of senior centre-backs and wing-backs before adding that “one or two more additions would definitely be helpful”.

Joe Rodon’s hamstring injury will only increased those concerns, with the Welshman potentially leaving Farke another senior defender down for the immediate future.

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is one player they have been pushing to sign on loan, and now, the need for an attacker is becoming even greater.

Leeds agree Wilfried Gnonto loan deal with Fiorentina

Wilfried Gnonto could be the next to leave Elland Road before the deadline, with Fabrizio Romano giving his famous ‘here we go’ to a loan deal to Serie A side Fiorentina, which includes an option to buy.

Gnonto returned to Farke’s matchday squad against Brentford following a hamstring issue but remained an unused substitute. The 22-year-old has struggled to establish himself as a regular since Leeds returned to the Premier League, starting just four league matches during the entirety of last season.

An exit may therefore make sense for the player as he searches for regular football, but from Leeds’ perspective, it would leave an already small squad even thinner if they don’t manage to make more signings.

Player

Position

James Trafford

Goalkeeper

Michael Zetterer

Goalkeeper

Alex Cairns

Goalkeeper

Jayden Bogle

Right-back

Gabriel Gudmundsson

Left-back

Tarik Muharemovic

Centre-back

Joe Rodon

Centre-back

Jaka Bijol

Centre-back

James Justin

Full-back

Nico Elvedi

Centre-back

Ethan Ampadu

Defensive midfield

Sean Longstaff

Central midfield

Anton Stach

Central midfield

Ao Tanaka

Central midfield

Ilia Gruev

Defensive midfield

Daniel James

Right winger

Harry Wilson

Right winger / attacking midfield

Brenden Aaronson

Attacking midfield

Noah Okafor

Left winger

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Centre-forward

Lukas Nmecha

Centre-forward

A Gnonto exit would effectively reduce that senior group to just 21 players unless Leeds bring someone else through the door.

Therefore, one or two attacking signings would help bolster that number and feel like the bare minimum for Farke, but time is ticking for the 49ers.



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