It is currently difficult for Leeds United's chiefs to make any concrete plans to bolster their playing squad in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Daniel Farke and his team do not yet know what division they will be playing in during the 2024/25 campaign and that could significantly impact their recruitment.
Players they may want for another season in the Championship may not be suitable for a Premier League term and players they could target for the top-flight may not be attainable, financially or in terms of their desire to join, if they remain in the second tier.
Their fate will be sealed by this time next week, though, as they have their huge play-off final clash at Wembley against Southampton this Sunday.
A win will secure their instant return to the Premier League but a loss will consign them to a second straight year in the second division, which speaks to the importance of this game.
If Farke and his side do come out on top and make their way back to the top table of English football, they could repeat the masterclass they played with Joe Rodon by swooping to sign another underused talent from Tottenham Hotspur.
Leeds urged to pursue deal for English dynamo
TEAMtalk writer James Marshment has urged Leeds to pursue a deal to sign Ryan Sessegnon on a free transfer from Spurs in the upcoming transfer window.
The former England U21 international is set to be released by the Premier League side this summer and the reporter has suggested that the Whites should swoop in to snap him up if they are promoted to the top-flight.
In the same article, TEAMtalk states that Rodon's priority is to complete a permanent move to Elland Road from Tottenham, and that a deal worth around £15m including add-ons should be enough to get a move over the line.
Fabrizio Romano recently reported that there is plenty of interest from teams in England and in Europe to sign the versatile left-footed star, who is due to be a free agent.
The Italian journalist added, however, that the player's preference is to remain in the Premier League next season, which would be a boost for Leeds should they win the play-off final and decide to make a move for him.
Farke could now repeat the masterclass he played with the signing of Rodon from Tottenham by signing Sessegnon to bolster his squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
The masterclass Leeds played with Joe Rodon
The Wales international had only made 24 appearances for Spurs in three years at the club prior to his initial loan move to Elland Road last summer.
He had spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan with Rennes in Ligue 1, playing 16 league matches, and Leeds opted to gamble on him in the hope that the defender would hit the ground running and be a rock at the heart of their defence.
That is exactly what Rodon has been for the Yorkshire-based outfit this season as he has been in fantastic form at centre-back, and has proven that there can be big benefits to snapping up underused talent from big Premier League teams.
HIS performances in the play-offs have been particularly impressive, as the right-footed star won six of his seven ground duels and eight of his ten aerial battles in the two clashes with Norwich in the semi-final, helping his side to keep a clean sheet in both matches.
The 26-year-old titan's dominant defensive work was also on display during the regular season to help the team to finish third in the Championship, earning them a place in the play-offs.
Appearances
43
Clearances per game
4.5
Ground duel success rate
69%
Aerial duel success rate
67%
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.3
Clean sheets
17
As you can see in the table above, Rodon rarely lost a physical battle, on the floor or in the air, across 43 appearances in the regular Championship campaign.
These statistics, and his outstanding work in the play-offs so far, show that Leeds played a masterclass when they brought him to the club last summer.
They plucked out an underused gem from Tottenham on loan and turned him into a star at Elland Road, which is what they could do by signing Sessegnon on a free transfer.
Why Leeds should sign Ryan Sessegnon
Firstly, this would not be a risk-free addition for the Whites as he has missed 62 matches for club and country through injury over the last two seasons, mainly due to hamstring issues.
This means that Farke would be taking a gamble on his fitness and hoping that the defender can get back to playing consistently without any major problems during the season.
It was one they took with Sam Byram, who had played 30 league games in the previous three seasons with Norwich, and he has played 34 league matches – including the play-offs – for Leeds this term, which shows that those gambles can pay off.
Sessegnon, who can play at left-back or on the wing, has only made 57 appearances for Spurs since his move to the club from Fulham in the summer of 2019.
However, the 24-year-old ace, who was once hailed as "incredible" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, did play 17 times and start nine matches in the Premier League last season for Tottenham.
Expected Assisted Goals (0.12)
Top 20%
Shot-creating actions (2.55)
Top 19%
Progressive carries (2.66)
Top 21%
Successful take-ons (0.55)
Top 49%
Touches in attacking penalty area (2.99)
Top 7%
Non-penalty goals (0.22)
Top 4%
As you can see in the table above, Sessegnon caught the eye with his superb play in possession in those 17 games, as he ranked well above average against his positional peers as both a scorer and a creator from left-back.
The 5 foot 10 whiz, who scored two goals in the Premier League last term, was also only dribbled past 0.4 times per match on average, which shows that opposition wingers found it hard to get the better of him.
Whereas, current Leeds left-back Junior Firpo was dribbled past 1.2 times per game in the division last season and did not rank above the bottom 44% of full-backs in the league in any of the aforementioned statistics that Sessegnon excelled in.
Leeds have "inquired" about signing £55k-p/w star who'd thrive with Gnonto
The Whites are reportedly interested in a swoop to sign the soon-to-be free agent defender.
ByDan Emery
This suggests that the potential is there for the free agent defender to come in as an upgrade on Firpo at Premier League level, due to his greater threat on the ball and stronger defensive work to avoid being dribbled past.
This is why Farke could repeat his Rodon masterclass with a move for the young star, who could be a fantastic addition if the gamble pays off and they can get him fit and firing.
