Leeds United struck gold last summer when they identified and signed Ao Tanaka from Fortuna Dusseldorf for a paltry sum of £3m. Pound for pound, he has been the best signing in the Championship this season and is widely regarded as the best midfielder in the division. It has been hinted Leeds could unearth more such players in the summer.
His form will play a big role if Leeds are to revive their season and earn automatic promotion to the Premier League in the remaining seven games of the season.
Leeds have been warned that they need to get promoted if they want to hold on to Ao Tanaka, as he joined the Whites with the clear aim of playing in the Premier League soon.
Tanaka is the prime example of how there is value to be found in the market if the recruitment team do their job and the club back the recommendations of seasoned scouts.
Daniel Farke hints Leeds want to repeat the Ao Tanaka trick
Leeds will be under more pressure to find value in the market if they get promoted, as the club do not have an unlimited budget, but they will need an overhaul to survive in the top flight.
Farke admitted that the domestic market in England is overpriced, so the club are more interested in finding players in markets such as Germany, where they identified Tanaka last summer.
The Leeds boss conceded that the club need to be more flexible and look for value in areas of the world where clubs do not often look.
“The domestic market is overpriced, that’s true. That means we have to be creative and think outside the box”, Farke told transfermarkt.de.
“The EFL’s foreign player rule requires a clever balance between domestic and international players. In doing so, we have to specifically prioritize which markets are attractive to us.
“The German market remains interesting, particularly due to the high quality of training and the tactical skills of the players. However, the Brexit-related regulations are making recruiting from Europe more difficult.
“Our strategy, therefore, has to be flexible. We are increasingly looking at markets outside Europe where talented players are available at more moderate costs.
“At the same time, it is important to involve our own young talent more closely in order to operate independently of transfer restrictions in the long term.”
Finding another Ao Tanaka will be hard
It still feels astonishing that Leeds paid just £3m for Tanaka last summer, and he could go for 10 to 15 times that price if Leeds are to sell him in the next window.
The Whites hope that promotion to the Premier League will be achieved, and the midfielder will stay at Elland Road despite all the rumours around his future.
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Farke has hinted Leeds will need to find more such bargains in the market going forward if they are to compete with teams who spend big, but is it possible?
Surprisingly, scouts at bigger clubs failed to identify Tanaka, but such errors will not be frequent and Leeds have shown other clubs that there are bargains to be found in places such as the German second tier.
It will be much harder for Leeds to repeat the trick next summer if they go fishing for more such players in the summer.
