Leeds United will enter their third summer transfer window under the stewardship of 49ers Enterprises next month and it is comfortably the most exciting one yet. Chairman Paraag Marathe described it as the most important window at Elland Road in decades following promotion and serious money is expected to be spent strengthening Daniel Farke’s squad.
The business done at Elland Road will be put under the microscope and now more than ever, it’s crucial Elland Road chiefs get the vast majority of their decisions right. But in two full years in charge of Leeds, many would agree 49ers Enterprises have generally conducted good transfer business.
Four transfer windows have passed under 49ers and in that time, Leeds have signed 18 first-team players from eight-figure marquee signings to mid-season free agents. Below, the YEP has rated each piece of business to get an idea of what could be to come.
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25. Noah Okafor - 8/10
The Swiss international's one-v-one threat was instantly evident, even if the end-product was not. He hit a great run of form with five goals and three assists in seven games before a hamstring injury in early-May. | AFP via Getty Images
26. Facundo Buonanotte - 3/10
Joined on loan from Brighton in January but barely had a sniff, his three Premier League appearances totalling just 39 minutes. The attacking midfielder was often not involved in matchday squads entirely. One that simply didn't work. | Getty Images
27. Harry Wilson - N/A
No one can guarantee how Wilson's time at Leeds will go but it feels like a great signing. A free transfer who registered 10 goals and seven assists last season. Anything close to that and he's looking at an 8 or 9/10
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28. Joel Piroe - 7/10
The £12m striker did what he was signed to do, scoring 19 goals to help Leeds claim the 2024/25 Championship title, but has been a non-entity since. Failed to score a single goal last season and only started twice in the Premier League. | Getty Images
29. Dominic Calvert-Lewin - 9/10
Questions were asked when Calvert-Lewin joined on a free last summer, mainly about his injury record. Since making his first league appearance in August, however, the free agent missed just one Premier League game through illness and scored 14 goals. | Getty Images
30. Lukas Nmecha - 7/10
Six goals last season was nothing to be sniffed at for a free agent back-up striker, and he'll likely score an important goal or two next season. Did struggle to match Calvert-Lewin's hold-up play, however, which cost Leeds at times. | Andrew Matthews/PA Wire