Leeds United supporters had the chance to see all of the club’s new signings in action on Saturday as they featured against Manchester United in a pre-season friendly.
The scoreline was far from exciting, as the two teams held each other to a 0-0 draw, but Sean Longstaff, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Lukas Nmecha, Gabriel Gudmundsson, and Jaka Bijol all played minutes.
Daniel Farke’s squad is also set to be bolstered by the arrival of defensive midfielder Anton Stach, after the club reportedly agreed a deal worth around £17m to sign the German star from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim on a permanent transfer.
This means that Leeds will have signed two centre-backs, a left-back, two defensive midfielders, and an experienced centre-forward in the summer transfer window.
As Nmecha arrived on a free transfer, Leeds have yet to spend a transfer fee on a new attacker to come in and bolster their side ahead of the Premier League campaign.
The Championship champions have been linked with plenty of forwards, though, and one obvious link that predictably emerged earlier in the summer was one to Aston Villa attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia.
Why Leeds may want to sign Emiliano Buendia
The Argentina international worked under Farke during his time at Norwich City and it was reported in January that Leeds were eyeing up a loan move with an option to make it permanent in the summer, as they were pushing to secure promotion out of the Championship.
That move did not materialise at the start of the year, though, and Leeds have once again been linked with an interest in signing the attacking midfielder to improve their options in the number ten position.
Buendia is a target that makes sense for Leeds because of their need for a replacement, or at least competition, for Brenden Aaronson, as well as Farke’s pre-existing relationship with the player.
The 28-year-old star scored 24 goals and provided 41 assists in 121 appearances for the German head coach with the Canaries, winning the Championship title in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 campaigns.
This suggests that Farke knows how to get the best out of the right-footed magician, who thrived as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Norwich in his three seasons there, and that is why this could be a signing that makes a lot of sense this summer.
Appearances
41
0
34
Games missed through injury
0
69
0
Goals
5
0
5
Big chances created
8
0
2
Assists
3
0
0
As you can see in the table above, though, it would be a risky signing because he has not been at his best at the top end of the pitch in the last three seasons, missing the entire of the 2023/24 campaign with an ACL injury.
Instead of taking a risk with Buendia, who may not be able to recapture the form he displayed at Norwich, Leeds may look elsewhere, amid reported interest in another former Canary.
Leeds pushing to sign Brazilian attacker
According to Turkish outlet Fotospor, Leeds United are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign Galatasaray central midfielder Gabriel Sara this summer.
The report claims that the Championship champions and fellow Premier League side Aston Villa are ‘constantly’ pushing to sign the Brazilian talent to bolster their respective midfields.
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It adds, though, that Galatasaray are not actively looking to cash in on the left-footed star, and that it will take an ‘incredible’ offer to tempt them into selling Sara, who they claim has won over the supporters with his performances on the pitch.
No price tag is mentioned in this latest report but Fotomac claimed earlier this summer that it would take a fee of around £26m to sign the former Norwich man, amid interest from Manchester United.
It is now down to Leeds to put the money on the table to convince Galatasaray to sell Sara and to beat Aston Villa and Manchester United to his signature, as the £26m-rated star has the potential to be Farke’s new Buendia.
Why Sara could be Farke's new Buendia
Poetically, Farke could find his next Buendia by signing the player Norwich eventually signed to replace the Argentine star as their chief creator.
The Canaries sold him to Aston Villa in 2021 and did not directly replace him until they signed the creative Brazilian from São Paulo the following summer.
As you can see in the graphic above, Sara racked up a staggering haul of 13 goals and 12 assists from midfield in the 2023/24 campaign for Norwich, which was the first time any player hit double figures for both goals and assists since Buendia produced 15 goals and 16 assists in the 2020/21 season.
Like the Argentine whiz, the Galatasaray star is an attacking midfielder who has the quality on the ball to make a big impact in the final third, as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
Sara, who analyst Ben Mattinson claimed has a “magical left foot”, joined the Turkish giants off the back of his incredible season in the Championship with Norwich, and enjoyed a strong debut year in the Super Lig.
Appearances
30
Goals
2
Big chances created
12
xA
7.62
Key passes per game
2.3
Assists
8
Pass accuracy
83%
As you can see in the table above, the £26m-rated star did not provide goals on a regular basis, but his creativity was on full display yet again, creating 12 ‘big chances’ for his teammates.
His form for both Norwich and Galatasaray suggest that Sara has the potential to be a huge creative threat for Leeds in the Premier League, with his ability to consistently unlock the opposition’s defence to create high-quality opportunities for the forwards ahead of him.
This is why he could be Farke’s new Buendia, who registered 41 assists for the German at Norwich, and why the club should continue to push for a deal for him this summer.
It is now down to the club to thrash out a deal to bring the left-footed creator to Elland Road this summer, as he could be an exciting addition to the squad.
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