Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke is aiming to follow in Marcelo Bielsa’s footsteps by keeping the team in the Premier League at the first time of asking.
The Argentine boss is the only manager in the last 20 years to keep the Whites up in their first season back in the top-flight, as Jesse Marsch only managed it in the club’s second year in the division.
Farke was relegated from the Premier League with Norwich City in the 2019/20 campaign, after winning the Championship title with the Canaries, and was sacked in the 2021/22 season after winning the second tier a second time.
The German boss will need to be backed in the transfer market by the board, as Bielsa was after he won the Championship. Sporting director Victor Orta provided him with the tools he needed to build a successful Premier League outfit.
Orta smashed the club’s transfer record to sign Rodrigo from Valencia for a reported fee of £30m, and he went on to score 28 goals in three seasons, as shown by the graphic above.
However, it was the signing of Raphinha from Rennes that proved to be the difference-maker for the West Yorkshire outfit, as he fired the team to safety in both of his seasons a Elland Road.
Why Raphinha was a huge signing for Leeds
The Brazil international was a huge signing for the Whites because his contributions at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League helped the club to avoid the drop on two occasions.
Raphinha’s ability to create things out of nothing in the final third as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Leeds won many valuable points for Bielsa’s team, and Marsch’s in the 2021/22 season.
In fact, Farke felt the full force of the Brazilian star in one of his last games in charge of the Canaries, as the winger scored a sensational solo goal, as shown in the clip above.
That goal sums up Raphinha’s time as a player at Leeds. He had the quality to beat opposition players at will, despite their best efforts, whilst also having the end product to make the most of the chances he created for himself.
Appearances
30
35
Goals
6
11
Big chances missed
4
6
Big chances created
12
10
Key passes per game
2.1
1.9
Assists
9
3
Dribbles completed per game
1.9
1.8
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed sensation produced 17 goals and 22 ‘big chances’ created in his two seasons in the Premier League, which helped the Whites to avoid the drop both times.
Leeds then sold him to Barcelona in the summer of 2022, for a reported fee of £55m, and they were relegated from the top-flight in the following season, which further illustrates how important he was to the team.
Leeds closing in on attacking midfielder
Having confirmed the arrival of Jaka Bijol on Monday, the Whites are now reportedly eyeing up a new signing for Farke who could come in as the club’s biggest deal since they snapped up Raphinha from Rennes in 2020.
Transfer Focus
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According to Le Nouvel Echo, as relayed by La Gazzetta Express, Leeds United are interested in a deal to sign RB Salzburg playmaker Oscar Gloukh before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Championship champions are ‘close to securing’ a transfer for the Israel international to bolster their options in the number ten position.
It adds that Salzburg value the 21-year-old starlet at a fee of around £21m and that Leeds have expressed an interest in bringing him to Elland Road ahead of next season.
The outlet reveals that the Whites are looking to improve the creativity within their squad and have identified Gloukh as a player who could add more quality to the team in the final third.
Why Leeds should sign Oscar Gloukh
Farke should push for the club to get a deal over the line because the young talent could be the club’s biggest signing since Raphinha, due to his potential to shine at Elland Road.
Gloukh, who scored a stunning goal against Pachuca in the Club World Cup earlier this month, is a player who has the potential to lead Leeds to safety with his ability as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the attacking midfield positon.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig once claimed that the playmaker has “exceptional” vision for passes and is a “two-footed” player who is “destined for big things”, which speaks to both his quality in the here and now as well as his potential for the future.
At the age of 21, the Whites would be signing an incredible young talent who has the scope to be worth millions more in the future, as was the case when they signed Raphinha, who went on to be sold for a whopping £55m.
As well as having long-term potential, Gloukh’s performances for Salzburg in the 2024/25 campaign also suggest that he would come in as an instant upgrade on Brenden Aaronson.
Appearances
26
46
Goals
10
9
Big chances missed
6
11
Key passes per game
2.5
1.6
Big chances created
15
9
Assists
5
2
Dribbles completed per game
3.0
1.1
As you can see in the table above, the Israel international could provide more quality in front of goal than the American dud, given that he scored more goals, created more ‘big chances’, assisted more goals, and completed almost three times as many dribbles per game.
Gloukh is an attacking midfielder who has the ability to influence matches on a regular basis, thanks to the threat he provides as a scorer and a creator, which is why he could be a huge signing for Farke this summer.
The young playmaker could be crucial to the team’s survival in the Premier League by winning vital points for the side with goals and assists from a number ten position, if he can translate his form over to English football.
This is why the £21m-rated star could be the club’s biggest signing since Raphinha because no player has kept the team up since the Brazilian ace left in 2022, and Gloukh has the potential to replicate the success the left-footed whiz had in West Yorkshire.
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