Leeds United have agreed to sign Chelsea’s Ethan Ampadu this week for a fee of £7million, becoming the club’s first signing of the summer.
Leeds’ transfer business so far this summer has been a slow burner, with no incomings for the senior confirmed as of yet, while a raft of outgoings continue.
However, the club took a huge step towards getting off the mark with Phil Hay revealing that an agreement was reached to see Ethan Ampadu move from Chelsea to Elland Road.
The fee is said to come in at an initial £7million for Leeds, with add-ons included in the deal on top of that.
Here, we look at one winner and one loser at Leeds as the club bring in a new midfielder…
Winner: Darko Gyabi
No matter who Leeds invest in this summer in the midfield department, someone who is sure to have a part to play is teenager Darko Gyabi.
The former Manchester City man has already showcased his talent for us since joining last summer, and needs to be unleashed this season.
While adding midfielders pushes him down the pecking order, it could be helpful for Gyabi to have someone like Ampadu in the squad, who has amassed such senior experience already despite being only 22.
A double pivot of these two is something that many fans will want to see too.
Loser: Lewis Bate
As much as Bate is in a similar position to Gyabi, you would expect that the ex-Chelsea man being knocked down the pecking order by another Cobham youngster will be a blow.
Especially so, given that Bate will be lower down the pecking order with any other signings that Leeds are to make in the remaining weeks of the window.
Bate showed what he can do in the second half of our first clash against Manchester United, but the club need more depth in his position.
The issue there for Bate is that he is the depth in our squad.
