2 players Leeds United should sign ASAP after Ao Tanaka deal is done | OneFootball

Leeds United are poised for a busy end to the summer transfer window

Leeds United are poised to engage in an action-packed finale to the summer transfer window, with further incomings anticipated before Friday evening's 11pm deadline.

Of course, one such arrival is set to come in the form of Ao Tanaka.

Following Leeds' expression of interest in the Fortuna Düsseldorf midfielder, Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg confirmed on Thursday morning that Tanaka has headed to Elland Road to undertake medical proceedings ahead of a €4m (£3.6m) agreement, where he is expected to put pen to paper on a four-year contract.

Leeds have faced a squad exodus for the second summer running, with star players such as Glen Kamara, Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter all sealing top-flight switches after the Whites failed to return to the Premier League at the first attempt last term.

The likes of Largie Ramazani and Manor Solomon have both joined the club late on the window to offset those departures, but Leeds remain in pursuit of further additions.

With that in mind, Football League World has decided to look at two players who Leeds must follow-up the impending Tanaka signing with as soon as possible.

Gustavo Hamer

The Gus Hamer transfer saga has been one of the most significant stories in what has proved to be a typically-hectic final week of the summer window.

Leeds' shock interest in the Sheffield United starlet was first called by The Star on Monday evening, with an initial £13m proposal deemed as "derisory" and was promptly rejected by the Blades.

Daniel Farke, however, is yet to cool his interest in the Brazilian-born Dutch midfield dynamo, despite United reportedly chalking up an £18m asking price according to Alan Nixon's exclusive Patreon service.

The valuation may prove too much to successfully broker for Leeds, who are believed to have returned with a deal worth £10m - which also contains Joel Piroe. Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post subsequently reported of Leeds' denial of the proposed deal.

Nonetheless, GiveMeSport have claimed that Hamer himself is open to the move and Leeds should really be looking to leverage that the best they can.

A dynamic and combative all-action midfielder, Hamer marries a degree of tenacity and athleticism with near-unrivalled creativity in the middle of the park and is capable of operating, and indeed starring, anywhere across midfield.

Supremely gifted from a technical perspective, Hamer's quality has been on show for all to see during United's opening Championship encounters, where he has scored twice from three matches.

He was mightily impressive for the Blades in the Premier League despite their relegation campaign and possesses proven class and pedigree at this level after a number of quality years spent with Coventry City, too.

The 27-year-old would be a game-changer in Leeds' high-octane, possession-based system both in and out of possession and any potential arrival could threaten to completely change the complexity of this season's promotion race, which Leeds and the Blades can both be expected to compete in.

Make no mistake about it, Hamer would represent a significant statement of intent while considerably softening some of the transfer blows Leeds have faced as of late.

Isaac Schmidt

Leeds supporters will be pleased to see the club making serious advances to recruit fresh faces, with the lack of urgency in doing so previously having emerged as a real source of frustration among the Elland Road faithful.

As per Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, Leeds are also close to striking an agreement for St. Gallen left-back Isaac Schmidt, who made 34 appearances in the Swiss top-flight last term.

He has already made four appearances and counting in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers so far in 2024/25 and would bring both pedigree and security to that area of the pitch, which has been a problem position for quite some time now.

Farke evidently desires added competition at left-back, with Junior Firpo the only out-and-out senior option at present. Last season saw Leeds fit square pegs into round holes by playing the likes of Jamie Shackleton and Cody Drameh there and given the importance of strength in depth at the top-end of the division, they will be eager to prevent that from happening again this time out.

Schmidt is much more of an unknown quantity than the tried-and-tested Hamer, but could too represent a strong and meaningful acquisiton to follow-up on Tanaka if Leeds can seal the deal, which is expected to happen.