Leeds United could make good use of the free agent market ahead of their EFL return.
The pieces off-field at Leeds United are falling into place at a snail’s pace.
Leeds saw their three-year stay in the Premier League end last season, which also brought around the exit door for Andrea Radrizzani as 49ers Enterprises moved forwards with a full purchase at the start of June.
That was the first of those off-field pieces needing to fall into place, but there’s so much more to sort around LS11.
Included in that is the make-up of the playing squad at Leeds, with exits inevitably on the cards and recruitment to be done.
Money will be available at Leeds to strengthen the squad ahead of a potential promotion push, yet the free agent market offers opportunities for the new board to be creative and target a couple of shrewd pick-ups.
Free agents that Leeds United could target
There’s a lot of work to do at Leeds right through the team, yet it would be foolish for the club not to start with restructuring their defensive unit.
Leeds have conceded 211 goals across three Premier League seasons and a number of their defenders look set to depart.
Junior Firpo, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Rasmus Kristensen and Pascal Struijk might all be heading for the exit door, and whilst it might not be the case that they are all missed, they will need replacing.
What’s the latest with Axel Tuanzebe?
It was confirmed in the middle of June that Tuanzebe would be leaving Manchester United after 37 senior appearances at Old Trafford.
A bulk of the 25-year-old’s career so far has been spent out on loan, with Tuanzebe notching 37 Championship and play-off appearances whilst on loan with Aston Villa and Stoke City previously.
That latter spell saw him hampered by injuries after a bright start and now the centre-back is on the lookout for a fresh challenge that could lead him back into the EFL.
Retaining Liam Cooper, Max Wober and Charlie Cresswell would leave Leeds unbalanced and on the lookout for a right-sided centre-back options. Nat Phillips has been linked by The Athletic, but at £10m.
Tuanzebe’s situation as a free agent makes him an attractive option and, if Leeds can trust he’s put injuries behind him, his form in the limited games he played at Stoke could convince the club he’s ready to make an impact in 2023/24.
Would Ryan Manning be a good signing for Leeds?
Manning is leaving Swansea City as a free agent this summer after an outstanding season in South Wales.
The left-back/wing-back scored five goals and registered 10 assists as the Swans finished in mid-table.
Leeds’ problems at left-back have been well-documented for some time now. Firpo won’t be missed and Manning is the obvious signing heading back into the EFL in a similar way that poaching Barry Douglas from Wolves was ahead of the 2018/19 season.
Manning is 27, in his prime and heading onto the free agent market on the back of a fine season. He’s a sensible signing for a club in Leeds’ position and someone that could solve a long-term issue at Elland Road.
