Leeds United have made a solid start to life back in the Premier League, despite their 2-1 defeat at home to Tottenham on Saturday. However, the Whites did miss out on some top targets in the summer window, and one of them is lighting up the Bundesliga.
The Whites have looked every bit a Premier League side in the opening exchanges of the season. Barring the 5-0 defeat at Arsenal, they have been resilient and competitive, and should have beaten Tottenham on Saturday at Elland Road.
Leeds are creating chances, but the lack of a clinical touch in the final third has cost them a couple of games this season. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was blamed for missing a few chances against Spurs.
Daniel Farke wanted to add more quality to his forward line, and the club missed out on a couple of top targets towards the end of the summer transfer window.
Leeds United may regret missing out on Bilal El Khannouss
Leeds held talks with the player’s representatives and were prepared to pay the release clause and the other costs to secure him from Leicester City.
However, the attacking midfielder delayed making a decision and ultimately forced his way out of Leicester to join VfB Stuttgart on transfer deadline day.
El Khannouss’ performances since moving to Germany have demonstrated why Adam Underwood and his recruitment team wanted him at Leeds.
The attacking midfielder scored in his second Bundesliga game against St. Pauli in a 2-0 win and was the difference maker in Stuttgart’s 1-0 win over Heidenheim on Sunday, with his goal in the 65th minute.
Bilal El Khannouss in the Bundesliga:
☑️ 4 games
⏱️ 355 minutes
⚽️ 2 goals
🔑 10 key passes
🎯 1 big chance created
⚡️ 4/8 successful dribbles
🛡️ 7 tacklesA very promising start to his new chapter for the 21-year-old VfB Stuttgart attacking midfielder. Pure quality. 🇲🇦💎 pic.twitter.com/rLLKvUNaIE
— Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) October 5, 2025
He is the kind of attacking presence Farke wanted in his midfield that would have made his side a bit more decisive in attack this season in the Premier League.
Leeds believed El Khannouss could have been a massive player at Elland Road, and were prepared to make the financial commitment needed to sign him.
However, his priority was to move to Europe, and he chose Stuttgart over Elland Road in the summer.
Leeds want an attacking midfielder in January
The Yorkshire giants are already drawing up plans for the winter transfer window as Farke is keen to add to his squad in the middle of the season.
The focus will be on strengthening the team’s attacking options, with injuries to Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto leaving their forward line stretched.
The Leeds manager wants to bring in a winger and an attacking midfielder when the transfer window reopens in January.
He wants to plug the gaps in his squad, which could cost them later in the season if not addressed in the winter window.
Can you name these 10 former Leeds United midfielders?
