Leeds United Q and A with exit prediction and key to Rodon deal as summer transfer window opens

The big one, right off the bat. Crysencio Summerville has the look and feel of the most likely departure for a number of reasons. Firstly, he's good enough. He proved last season he was better than most Championship defenders and he is destined to play in a top flight somewhere. Secondly, the money. Leeds paid something like £1.5m for him and could rake in something like £30m or even £35m for him. The profit margin will look very, very good when it comes to P&S headroom. Summerville made a smart decision last summer to stay and become a main man at Leeds and had they gone up I could have seen a new contract at Elland Road. Now, however, I can see an exit. No one at Leeds is making any noise about a determination to keep him. And as good as he was last season, with a bit of money to spend I could see him being replaced - just as long as the replacement brings goals and they get that from midfield and other areas too.

Summerville is the most likely and for me Willy Gnonto is the second most likely exit. He wanted to go last summer, the season didn't exactly pan out as he might have expected and the battle with Dan James was far harder than many would have predicted. Chuck in Summerville's likely exit, the loss of his best friend, and can you really see the Italian international staying? If he's to return to the senior fold with Italy he needs to be in the Premier League or Serie A.

Beyond those two I'm not sure I'd be backing any really major or damaging exits and I think that the sale of those two would alleviate any P&S concerns because they will both bring in huge amounts of profit. We're not expecting wholesale change or a mass exodus this summer. Daniel Farke is happy with the nucleus of the squad as it is, it just needs sharpening here and there.

Yes, we are anticipating a trip to Germany for Farke and his squad as they prepare for the new season, but the friendlies are not confirmed and the details are still to be firmed up before the club makes any announcements.

I don't know that Leeds will necessarily want to sell Gnonto, I think it probably just makes sense. I think he will most likely favour that outcome.

Metallica. Saw them at Reading Festival and it was incredible. No other word for it. I can accept their dysfunction and Lars being Lars, when they sound and play like they did then.

The loan clause thing is interesting, because we were of the understanding that only two clauses remained active and one of those was Jack Harrison. Marc Roca obviously outed himself as the other. But regardless, the fact that Farke has held positive talks with Aaronson, club sources were confident in asserting he would return and the player himself has gone on the record to confirm it, suggests to me that is the plan and they'll stick to it. Having said what he said this week, there's just no way Aaronson could go and force another loan exit and ever show his face in Leeds again. He's contracted to 2027 after all. And Leeds cannot afford to sell him for what would right now be a huge loss. I think he'll be here and I think he'll play. Quite what part he'll play is what we're about to discover when he returns for pre-season.

As above, I'd almost be resigned to losing Summerville and Gnonto but even if that was not the case, I would choose Rutter. He's the most fun to watch, of an incredibly fun trio. Gnonto's game is about powerful shots and cutting inside. Summerville's is about that jink in from the left and the exquisite curling shots. Rutter is just so unpredictable. His dribbling is a joy to behold when he's in full flight and feeling it.

Make room in your life for the word and. Both excellent shows, in their way.

Pablo Hernandez and Raphinha, for similar reasons. They were both an absolute joy to watch and I enjoyed the sliderule passes as much as the nutmegs. Raphinha possibly just pips the promotion her because his ability level was just so ridiculously high. It's still incredible to think we got to see him doing his stuff at Elland Road, before the inevitable £50m move to Barcelona. A genuine Brazilian international star.

Well the way it was structured, with a significant shirt deal, certainly helps with the P&S restrictions for next season. It was one way in which Leeds could ameliorate for the drop in parachute payments. I think the Trust struck the right balance with their statement on vigilance because you cannot for one second believe that Red Bull dipped their toe in English football just to have a toe in English football. They will undoubtedly be looking further down the line. This just isn't the club for name changes and the like, is it? It will be interesting to discover if the new relationship leads to any recruitment benefits for Leeds because there is a wealth of knowledge and scouting resources to tap into.

Absolutely. Five years in, almost. The games remain the very best bit about covering Leeds United, so the period in between seasons is never my favourite time of year. I enjoyed watching Leeds last season, especially when Summerville was in his office doing what he did and when Gray was showing us all why the hype was very much justified. Dealing with Daniel Farke was enjoyable too, he's more personable than a number of managers I've worked with and he's incredibly good value when it comes to press conferences. Wembley as an experience, but not one I wish to repeat unless it ends in a champagne-soaked bus parade.

In a word, yes. But not yet. And don't tell him.

I'm going against the tide that seems to be flowing elsewhere, but I can see Archie Gray staying and being absolutely key next season. I just don't get why he would be desperate to move, right now, when he's had one full season of senior football at the club he adores. Now, should Leeds not go up next season, then I could absolutely see a Premier League move for the teen. Right now it only makes sense if a club much bigger than Leeds comes along with an offer that is too good for 49ers Enterprises to turn down and that guarantees Gray a similar level of senior involvement. Of course he's worth a fortune and that would ease P&S greatly, hence why Marathe did not definitively rule out an exit for the youngster, but I think the money can be made elsewhere and I think he can become even more of a force in the middle of the park in Farke's second term.

A media team can only really dance to the tune of an ownership and 49ers Enterprises just quietly hum along in the background. This is not a regime that fires off emotional Tweets late at night, nor is it one that gets into shouting matches with fans in the directors box. It's very much a 'speak when there's something to say' policy and that trickles down in any sporting organisation. It's all quite slick and sensible. But without going back to tally up, it felt like there was a huge uptick in the amount of player access we the local media enjoyed last season. The community trip invites were also appreciated. It was all very pleasant, last season.

There are a number of reasons why it feels like this summer might be quite a timely break from Leeds United for Patrick Bamford. I don't see why they would go into another season placing a heavy burden of reliance on his shoulders again, when fitness and injuries have taken such a toll in recent years. He's a streaky striker and not that 20-goals-a-season-every-season guy. Equally, I'm not sure I could see why he wouldn't be ready to move on and enjoy a fresh start somewhere else. It has not been easy for him at Leeds, on and off the pitch. He still has plenty of football left in him and plenty to offer. His hold up play, his pressing, his work-rate are all top notch.

The problem with any move might be finding a club prepared to pick up the wages cost when he hasn't been able to play huge amounts of football for the past few seasons. Leeds always seem to miss him when he doesn't play, but is that simply because they're yet to come up with a viable, ready-made alternative? He's contracted to 2026 so perhaps there won't be such an incentive on his side to depart and Farke really likes him. Losing experience is not the one, in an inexperienced squad, unless he can be directly replaced. One of the most interesting scenarios this summer.

I expect Leeds would love dearly to take players of that ilk from their fellow EFL teams but it's not as simple as that. Considering that Joel Piroe was the most expensive purchase last summer and both Szmodics and Whittaker might well fetch asking prices beyond that total, with P&S in mind and the drop in parachute payments, I would not foresee more than one big splash of cash on a single individual. Not when you can probably spend less and get a lesser known player from the continent. The British tax is always there. And no one in the EFL will be out to do Leeds any favours when it comes to selling star men. All of that said, you'd love to see any of those three at Elland Road next season, wouldn't you? O'Hare on a free transfer would be sensational business. There will likely be Premier League interest to contend with but if he can't get a top flight move then the next best thing would be Leeds

The hair was doing away with itself. Sometimes you just have to embrace inevitability.

That blue gel-like stuff was always a big favourite growing up. I can see Leeds keeping Georginio Rutter. The finances and the loss they would surely book if they were to sell this summer make an exit unlikely to me. And it's not like he was on fire from start to finish all season and did enough to justify never again playing outside of the top flight. Rutter still has something to prove, he still has big improvements to make and consistency to find. I'd expect him to be at Leeds and to contribute just as much, if not more, offensively next term.

This is a must. My feeling was that he did not get enough of a chance last season. That occasion when Patrick Bamford was dropped from the starting line-up and Joel Piroe came in, when externally the expectation was for Joseph to be next up, sticks in my mind. That was the day that Joseph's emotions got the better of him after that rondo squabble with Bamford. But he evidently continued to knuckle down and bide his time, even if it had to be frustrating at times. Next season he could really take on a lot more importance and responsibility. He looks like a serious prospect.