Leeds United have made a solid start to life back in the Premier League. While the 2-1 defeat at home to Tottenham on Saturday was a disappointment, the Whites have shown enough promise in the early exchanges to suggest they are going to be more than competitive in the top flight.
Their recruitment came under some fire at the end of the transfer window. However, it seems they have got the majority of their new signings spot on, as several of them have come to the fore and have played a big part in their start to the season.
The jury is out on some of the names, but largely, the Leeds new boys have done well and are expected to remain a big part of the club’s development in the near future if they stay up in the Premier League.
Rating every Leeds United signing from the summer
Lucas Perri – 5/10
Leeds paid around £15m to snare the Brazilian goalkeeper away from Lyon in the summer. However, the jury is still out on his overall quality. Perri is a more dominant presence inside the box, but Farke has already pointed out that he needs to improve his kicking, and he has not looked completely steady. A couple of injuries in the first few months have also not helped him to cement his status as the club’s number one goalkeeper.
James Justin – 5/10
The Whites forked out a deal worth £10m to sign Justin from Leicester City towards the end of the transfer window. He is seen as the back-up to Jayden Bogle, which is not an enviable spot in the Leeds squad. However, he has looked steady and solid in the limited opportunities at the start of the season.
Gabriel Gudmundsson – 8/10
He has been the signing of the summer transfer window. The Swede has bounced back from an unfortunate own goal against Fulham and has demonstrated solid defensive instincts while also improving his attacking game. Gudmundsson is going to be a huge player for Leeds this season and moving forward.
Jaka Bijol – 3/10
Hard to judge one of the most expensive signings for Leeds in the summer, as he has hardly played any football beyond an EFL Cup appearance. The Slovenian was supposed to be a starting eleven player, but Farke has refused to break up the Joe Rodon-Pascal Struijk centre-back pairing.
Sebastiaan Bornauw – 2/10
Bonauw is facing the same struggle as Bijol since joining Leeds. His solitary appearance came in the EFL Cup game, and he is not even regularly making the matchday squads in the Premier League this season.
Anton Stach – 7.5/10
Leeds believed that they were pulling off a coup when they signed Anton Stach in the summer, and he has been a success at the start of the season. He has an eye for a pass and has added physicality to the Leeds midfielder. There are concerns around his pace, but he has been a net positive for the Whites.
Sean Longstaff – 8.5/10
Leeds fans were expecting to sign more marquee names than Longstaff once they got promoted. However, the 27-year-old midfielder has been brilliant since he replaced Ao Tanaka in the starting eleven. He has added steel and Premier League nous to the midfield and has made Leeds horrible to play against.
Noah Okafor – 7/10
Okafor’s injury problems and his inconsistent performances last season initially raised concerns, but Leeds took a calculated gamble by signing him based on potential, and it’s paying off. The Swiss winger has already netted twice in the Premier League and emerged as a genuine attacking menace in the final third, combining pace, intelligence, and composure to justify the club’s faith in him.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 7/10
The former Everon striker was signed on a free transfer, and Leeds backed their medical department to keep him fit this season. The 28-year-old has looked like the ideal number 9 for Leeds and scored in the win over Wolves. He would have been the best signing of the summer had he converted his chances against Bournemouth and Tottenham.
Lukas Nmecha – 5/10
The former Wolfsburg striker joined on a free transfer and scored Leeds’ first goal of the Premier League season in the win over Everton. However, he is now firmly the second choice behind Calvert-Lewin and has not done much in his cameo appearances.
Can you name these 10 former Leeds United midfielders?
DCL 7/10??? Behave. He’s not pulling up trees. No better than a 5t or a 6 at best