Leeds United have had an exciting start to the summer transfer window, but things may be about to become a whole lot more negative around Elland Road.
Indeed, while fans of the west Yorkshire club are currently excited about the three new signings Leeds have already made, it now looks as though it’s time for some big-name departures.
According to The Athletic, deals have been agreed to sell Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City and Raphinha to Chelsea in recent days, and, as you can imagine, that is cause for concern at Leeds.
The Whites are about to lose their two best players after narrowly avoiding relegation in 2021/22, and while that doesn’t sound promising, Leeds should still be left with a rather strong team.
With that in mind, we’ve had a look at how Leeds could lineup once Raphinha and Phillips leave the club.
We’ve not accounted for any further arrivals after Raphinha and Phillips go, but, in all honesty, this isn’t a bad side at all.
The backline is a familiar one as Illan Meslier, Junior Firpo, Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente start, but don’t be surprised of Stuart Dallas slots in at left-back once he’s back from injury.
Of course, there is a new name at right-back as new signing Rasmus Kristensen slots in.
There’s also a new name in midfield as Marc Roca starts alongside Mateusz Klich, but, after Phillips’ departure, there could be a new name starting alongside Roca other than Klich.
We expect Jesse Marsch to move more towards his favourite 4-2-2-2 formation next term, so Brendan Aaronson and Jack Harrison start as the two wider attacking midfielders here, while up top Daniel James partners Patrick Bamford. However, there’s also reason to believe that Joe Gelhardt could make that slot his own next term.
This isn’t an awful team, and with the likes of Cody Gakpo, Charles De Ketelaere and Tyler Adams also linked, this side could well be even stronger by the time the window closes.
Leeds may be about to lose two of their most important players, but the future may still be bright at Elland Road.
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