Leeds United fell at the final promotion hurdle last month as they were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.
The Whites had the chance to make an instant return to the Premier League at the first time of asking but did not step up to the big occasion in the capital.
They will now have to prepare for another season in the second tier as they attempt to earn promotion at the second time of asking, which is also how many seasons it took for Marcelo Bielsa to navigate his way out of the league.
Daniel Farke could be set for a busy summer as his squad could change a fair bit between now and the end of the upcoming summer transfer window.
It was recently reported that forward Wilfried Gnonto is keen on a move to Italy, whilst winger Crysencio Summerville has been linked with Liverpool, and German giants Bayern Munich have been touted with an interest in teen starlet Archie Gray.
This suggests that the Whites could be in the market to bring in reinforcements for their squad this summer, to either bolster their existing options or replace any stars who move on.
Leeds United's interest in EFL sensation
According to the Blackpool Gazette, Leeds are one of a number of clubs keen on a possible swoop to sign Stade Brestois attacker Karamoko Dembele.
The report claims that it remains to be seen what the French side are going to do with the 5 foot 6 attacker next season after he just spent the year on loan with Blackpool in League One.
It states that Sheffield Wednesday approached the Ligue 1 outfit with a view to taking him on loan for the 2024/25 campaign, but no decision appears to have been made on his future as of yet.
Along with Leeds, there are plenty of other English teams eyeing up the young starlet ahead of the summer window, with Everton, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Fulham, and Brentford all said to be keen from the Premier League.
Meanwhile, newly-promoted Leicester City and Southampton are also in the mix, along with the Whites, Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday from the Championship.
This suggests that there will be plenty of competition for his signature this summer and Farke and his team may need to act fast in order to secure his services.
If Leeds do win the race to sign Dembele then they could land an alternative option to Georginio Rutter, who enjoyed a superb season, in the number ten position.
Georginio Rutter's Championship season in numbers
The French wizard was named in the EFL Team of the Season for the Championship back in April after his terrific creative performances for the Yorkshire-based outfit.
Signed from Hoffenheim in January 2023, Rutter was relegated from the Premier League with Leeds last year and used that relegation to thrive in the second tier this term.
His creativity was his best asset throughout the 2023/24 campaign as he showed himself to be one of the best players in his position at creating high-quality chances for his teammates.
The 22-year-old magician ranked within the top 2% of his positional peers in the Championship for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.29), the top 2% for assists per 90 (0.39), and the top 2% for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.41).
This shows that not many players in the division were better at assisting goals, creating high xG opportunities, or being involved in moves that led to shots being taken on goal.
Whilst Rutter thrived as a creative presence in the Leeds side, racking up 15 assists and 22 'big chances' created, he did let himself down when it came to finishing chances.
Georginio Rutter
16.05
7
-9.05
Patrick Bamford
11.11
8
-3.11
Joe Rodon
2.51
0
-2.51
Ethan Ampadu
2.3
0
-2.3
Mateo Joseph
2.43
1
-1.43
As you can see in the table above, no player underperformed their xG by more than the French forward within the Whites squad this season, as he scored just seven goals from an xG of 16.05.
Dembele could now come through the door as an alternative option to Rutter in the number ten role, as a player who could offer quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
Why Karamoko Dembele could be Georginio Rutter 2.0
Firstly, the EFL star is also a left-footed whiz who is typically deployed in an attacking midfield role, which means that he could operate behind the striker in Farke's 4-2-3-1 set-up.
Dembele's form in League One for Blackpool does, though, suggest that the potential is there for the gem, who boss Neil Critchley hailed as "exciting" and "beautiful to watch", to be more ruthless in front of goal than Rutter.
He plundered eight league goals from 4.00 xG and the xG of his shots on target came to 5.28, which shows that the quality of his shots still outperformed his xG but the youngster also had a helping hand from opposition goalkeepers as they underperformed against his efforts.
Dembele did not miss a single 'big chance' in front of goal all season, whilst Rutter missed 17, and this indicates that the Whites could improve their efficiency in the final third by having him in their side.
Appearances
39
45
Assists
13
15
Big chances created
15
22
Key passes per game
2.0
1.9
Dribbles completed per game
1.3
2.8
Dribble success rate
62%
48%
As you can see in the table above, both players are skillful maestros who like to get on the ball and make things happen to split open the opposition's defence with incisive passes to create chances for their teammates.
Rutter registered more assists and 'big chances' created but Dembele was far more efficient with his attempted dribbles and created more chances per game on average, which shows that they both thrived in different areas.
However, it remains to be seen how the Blackpool loanee's form would translate over to the Championship, which means that this move would be a bit of a gamble by Leeds.
Leeds lining up swoop for bargain PL player to replace Gnonto
The Whites have been credited with an interest in the experienced forward this summer.
ByDan EmeryJun 6, 2024
It appears to be one worth taking for the Whites, though, based on his superb performances in the third division during the 2023/24 campaign, as he could be Rutter 2.0 and offer Farke a useful alternative in the number ten role.