Daniel Farke has done exactly what was asked of him this season by keeping Leeds United in the Premier League, while also silencing plenty of critics with a respectable 14th-place finish.
Now, the Leeds boss is pushing for greater ambition in the summer transfer window, and the club appear ready to back him financially as they look to strengthen the squad.
Farke also faces several big decisions over the coming months, both regarding the new players he wants to bring to Elland Road and the futures of a number of current squad members.
It is almost certain that Leeds want to bring in midfield reinforcements. However, it would mean the club could have to sell one or two midfielders this summer.
Sean Longstaff seems to be done at Leeds
When Leeds signed Sean Longstaff last summer, he was expected to be one of the fulcrums of the team, and he started the season as a key player in the starting eleven.
However, an injury during the winter came as a major blow, and he never really became a regular starting eleven player since his return in January.
Towards the end of the season, he became a bit-part player on the bench, and Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach, Brenden Aaronson and Ao Tanaka were ahead of him in the pecking order.
With Leeds interested in signing Tanner Tessmann from Lyon, it seems certain that Leeds will have to sell one or two of their midfielders this summer.
Longstaff seems to be the player who could make way for the arrival of a new midfielder, and it seems likely that he has played his last game for the Whites.
He would also want to play more football
Longstaff left Newcastle to join Leeds United in search of more regular football and a bigger role in the next stage of his career.
However, during the second half of the season, the midfielder was mostly used as an option off the bench and featured mainly in cup matches.
This was not Longstaff’s idea when he joined Leeds, and he would almost certainly want to play more football and be a more prominent figure in the team.
However, with Leeds looking at both experienced and young midfielders, Longstaff is likely to drop further down the pecking order next season.
Every sign is pointing towards one conclusion – the former Newcastle star will move on from Leeds in the summer transfer window.
