DEAL CONFIRMED:Leeds United accept a 5 years pending contract with Bournemouth..

DEAL CONFIRMED:Leeds United accept a 5 years pending contract with Bournemouth..

Leeds United’s decision to sell Georginio Rutter in the summer of 2024 has left them with a lack of a creative No.10, which may be an issue in some games this season, and one that AFC Bournemouth’s David Brooks could help to remedy.

 

Despite a solid start to the season, and creative players such as Willy Gnonto and new signing Largie Ramazani impressing on the wings, their style relies heavily on pace and direct running with space to run into. What Leeds are currently missing as a profile in their squad is a central attacking player who can unlock defences with intricate play and vision.

Rutter, even though he often frustrated with his inconsistency and his ability to overplay in tight spaces, had a knack for holding up the ball and linking play, offering more variety to Leeds’ forward movements. His individual brilliance often unlocked doors for Leeds, but that match-winning ability from a central player is not as prevalent in the 2024/25 squad.

 

Under Daniel Farke, the system looks well-drilled and outstanding defensively, but a player capable of pulling the strings in the final third would elevate them even further. A signing of this nature in January could be the difference between a strong promotion push and absolutely cementing their place at the top.

With the squad already boasting depth in wide areas and a solid defensive unit, a creative central option could be the icing on the cake for a Leeds side with serious promotion ambitions. Finding someone who can feed strikers more consistently could be the missing piece and the difference in rounding off Farke’s project and squad.

 

Joe Rothwell was signed from Bournemouth in the summer, and is finding his feet well in the Leeds set up after a slow start, but could another loanee from the Cherries be the answer to Farke’s problem?

There’s no doubt that the Frenchman Rutter was one of Leeds’ best players and one of the Championship’s best creators, and that they would be worse off without him after failing to recruit an established specialist in the playmaker role. Leeds wanted to build around him and the club even entered talks to plead with Rutter to remain, but it was always likely to be the case that he would snub a contract offer with Leeds and sign for Brighton.

 

A true difference-maker and match-winner, Rutter often was for Farke. And, despite eyeing big-money deals with £13 million bids for the likes of Gus Hamer, and SC Freiburg’s Roland Sallai also looked at after reportedly pushing hard to land the Hungarian in a £10 million deadline day deal, Leeds came up short in securing