Leeds United will kick off their Championship campaign this weekend at Elland Road against Cardiff City, with Daniel Farke guiding his new squad in his first game as manager.
Many of the Whites’ Premier League first-teamers have left this summer, with Weston McKennie, Marc Roca, Rodrigo, and Maximilian Wober among those who have left.
Indeed, there is still much work to be done in the transfer market to strengthen crucial areas of the pitch and ensure Leeds can comfortably compete in the second tier to achieve automatic promotion back to the Premier League, something Farke has accomplished twice with Norwich City.
Leeds have been connected with a number of players throughout the summer transfer window, but only Ethan Ampadu has been signed thus far.
It was rumoured last week that the West Yorkshire club are interested in acquiring Manchester City wonderkid Rico Lewis, who made a reputation for himself last season in the treble-winners’ full-back post.
According to the Sunday Express [July 30, page 5], the Whites are battling with Southampton for Lewis’ signature this summer, although Man City have rejected any offers for their youth potential (as first reported by Hampshire Live).
Leeds could certainly benefit from new recruits in their full-back positions ahead of next season, with Rasmus Kristensen already gone and Cody Drameh and Junior Firpo’s futures in doubt.
As a result, signing Lewis would be a fantastic piece of business for the Whites as they attempt to reinforce the wider flanks in the remaining weeks of the window, but it appears like the Premier League winners will need some convincing.
Farke could almost certainly promise the 18-year-old regular first-team football, which could not only make the move appealing for the player, but the club could benefit from loaning out their star to boost his development and get him ready to become a reliable presence at the Etihad in the future.
According to SofaScore, the £11.5m-rated youngster, who was once dubbed “exceptional” by Pep Guardiola, tallied an impressive 92% pass completion rate, successfully completed 73% of his dribbles, and won 53% of his aerial and ground duels combined in 14 Premier League appearances, demonstrating strong consistency in his output despite only starting 10 games.
Indeed, according to FBref, the new Leeds manager might land his very own Oleksander Zinchenko, since the Arsenal full-back has been named as the third most comparable player to Lewis during the last 12 months.
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