The January transfer window officially opens for business next week and Leeds United could be in the market to strengthen their squad ahead of the second half of the season.
After the Whites thumped Oxford United 4-0 in the Championship at Elland Road on Saturday, Daniel Farke confirmed that the club are under no pressure to sell their key players next month.
He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We are a healthy club right now and so no pressure to do anything. We can’t spend a fortune but there is no need to do anything in terms of earning more money.”
This suggests that the West Yorkshire outfit will not have to cash in on any of their stars in order to dip into the market to improve their options, if they decide that they need to.
It was recently reported that Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing central defender Pascal Struijk, and these latest comments from Farke suggest that Spurs would need to spend serious money to tempt Leeds into selling the Dutch titan.
On the flip side, there is now a report that suggests the Whites have their eye on a potential addition in the middle of the park in the January window and it could well be an Ethan Ampadu repeat…
Leeds United's Ethan Ampadu blinder
In the summer of 2023, Leeds swooped to sign the Wales international from Premier League side Chelsea for a reported fee of £7m, which has turned out to be a bargain.
Ampadu had been on loan with Spezia in the Serie A during the 2022/23 campaign, starting 32 times in the Italian top-flight, and the Whites convinced him to drop down to the second tier to play a starring role for Farke last season.
The 24-year-old star, who captained the side in the second half of the term, started all 49 league games for Leeds – including the play-offs – as they ultimately lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final.
Ampadu, who was utilised as a defensive midfielder and as a centre-back, caught the eye with his incredibly strong performances out of possession.
Starts
46
Pass accuracy
89%
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.9
Ball recoveries per game
6.9
Duel success rate
59%
As you can see in the table above, the former Chelsea prospect was a dominant defensive force, whether that was in midfield or as part of the back four, as he won the majority of his duels and made 9.8 tackles, interceptions, and recoveries per match on average.
Leeds were able to pluck out an excellent talent who could not make the breakthrough at a top European club, despite his time on loan in a major league with Spezia, and they could be set to do the same thing here…
Leeds eyeing defensive midfielder swoop
According to journalist Alan Nixon, on his Patreon, Leeds United are one of the teams eyeing up a swoop for Sporting defensive midfielder Dario Essugo ahead of the second half of the season.
The reporter claims that Premier League giants Chelsea and the Whites are both keen on a deal to sign the 19-year-old talent to bolster their respective options in midfield.
This suggests that the West Yorkshire outfit will have to convince the youngster that a move to Elland Road will be more beneficial to him than potentially going to Stamford Bridge to be loaned out elsewhere or be on the fringes of the first-team squad, with the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Romeo Lavia already in Enzo Maresca’s squad.
The Whites were linked with an interest in Essugo earlier this month and it was reported at the time that it could take a fee of £6m, as part of an obligation to buy at the end of the term, to secure a deal for his services.
It was claimed that Sporting would want Leeds to take him on loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent for £6m, irrespective of any potential promotion to the Premier League, and it remains to be seen whether or not they are able to compete with Chelsea on financial terms.
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The 49ers could, however, repeat the blinder they played with the signing of Ethan Ampadu from, ironically, Chelsea, if they can get a move over the line in January.
Why Dario Essugo could be Ethan Ampadu 2.0
As was the case with Ampadu last year, the Portuguese talent is on the books with a big European side. In this case it’s Sporting and he is currently on loan in a major league in LaLiga with Las Palmas.
This means that Leeds could repeat the blinder they played with the Welshman by swooping for another cast-off, who has proven their ability in a high-quality league, from a big club.
Essugo, like Ampadu, is also a defensive midfielder who is incredibly strong in duels and always looking to win possession back for his side through tackles, interceptions, and recoveries.
The 19-year-old star, who U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed has “crazy athleticism”, has started all 12 of his appearances for Las Palmas in LaLiga so far this season, which shows that he has been trusted to start week-in-week-out in one of Europe’s major leagues.
Appearances
12
Pass accuracy
88%
Tackles + interceptions per game
4.3
Ball recoveries per game
4.8
Duel success rate
60%
As you can see in the table above, the impressive youngster has provided a fantastic defensive presence at the base of their midfield, with 9.1 tackles, interceptions, and recoveries per game.
His defensive contributions are similar to Ampadu’s from last season for Leeds, with a similar number of interventions and a slightly better duel success rate in comparison to the Welsh captain.
Essugo – who has also notably been described as “one of the most exciting defensive midfielders in Europe” by scout Jacek Kulig – has also shown that he can be reliable in possession, with a pass success rate of 88%, and these statistics suggest that the Whites could find their new Ampadu by landing another holding midfielder who can defend brilliantly and provide quality on the ball.
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However, it remains to be seen whether or not the 49ers can get a deal over the line to beat Chelsea to his signature in the January transfer window.