Leeds United: Any Ethan Ampadu and Pascal Struijk transfer advances must be snubbed | OneFootball

FLW outline two of the most important players for Daniel Farke and Leeds United to cling onto this summer.

Highlights

Leeds United will be in for a summer of change after they failed to gain promotion last season, but Daniel Farke must retain the services of some key players if the Whites are to mount a second assault on the Championship.

Despite Red Bull's lucrative sponsorship deal with the club, Leeds losing in the play-off final is certain to have ramifications on what the club can do this summer. Cash flow and debts are an issue, meaning young stars could be sold. A chunk of Leeds' best players are aged under 25 and that is bound to stir up interest across Europe, with many of them having outstanding seasons after the club fell just short of bouncing back to the top-flight.

The Daily Mail has reported that they may have to generate £100 million in player sales following their failure to secure Premier League status. That, and retaining your best players as a second year parachute payment team being a difficult situation to navigate, is going to see more than just Archie Gray leaving the club.

They have had to rebuild in 2023/24 already, but are likely to need the same this summer, with the likes of Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, and Willy Gnonto all of interest to clubs far and wide throughout Europe and the Whites have a fight on their hands to retain them.

That's especially with so many of Leeds' best assets being so young, and players who are near-certainties to be too good for the Championship after a year of development. This is an issue that is particularly pertinent for a Leeds side with players that have proven that they should not be playing another year of Championship football in 2024/25.

They will need to replace key personnel who depart, especially those that were a major part of the reason they finished the season in third. However, here we focus on two players that they must build the team around in 2024/25, especially those that are more realistic in terms of Leeds' likelihood of keeping them, with Gnonto, Summerville, and Rutter perhaps the assets the club will be most concerned about keeping.

Ethan Ampadu

If Leeds can keep a core of a team together outside some of the likeliest stars to depart, then they are likely to be strong again under Farke. Ethan Ampadu was one of the best signings in the Championship last season following his arrival to Leeds United from Chelsea and established himself as a key player for the German.

So much so, that the Welshman wore the armband on 23 occasions in 2023/24 and has become one of the key leadership figures within the Elland Road dressing room. That record is ahead of Pascal Struijk with 13, the official club captain in Liam Cooper with 11, and the official vice-captain during the first half of the season in Luke Ayling with eight.

The latter two have been the primary bearers of the captain's armband for several years now, and an established part of the club's leadership group alongside the likes of Stuart Dallas and Adam Forshaw, but there may be somewhat of a changing of the guard at Elland Road this summer, which Ampadu could be central to.

The Wales international penned a four-year deal at Elland Road, and joined the club for a fee of around £7 million plus add-ons of up to £10 million, per Phil Hay of The Athletic. It proved to be a bargain, but not only that, as he has been virtually ever-present this season for Leeds, having been substituted just once in the league all season, and missing just one of Leeds' 55 games in all competitions when he was rested during a replay in the FA Cup against Plymouth Argyle.

He has also been needed as part of a rock-solid duo at centre-back and in midfield as well as Farke has not been keen to utilise Cooper or Charlie Cresswell, which highlights Ampadu's importance to the Leeds boss. The epitome of consistency, Ampadu has established himself as arguably Leeds' best player and one of the best midfielders in the Championship last season. He has mostly been deployed at the base of midfield and become a pivotal player there.

You wouldn't know that he'd played almost every game given the quality, consistency, and relentlessness of his displays. Availability is the best ability but adaptability and dependability aren't far behind, either. Ampadu is now a Premier League player in all but name but needs a permanent home for a more sustained period after changing clubs for every season of his career.

Next year should be his last one as a Championship player, irrespective of whether Leeds achieve promotion at the second time of asking, but he is vital to the club's success and appears settled and happy in West Yorkshire so far. He is the sort of player and character to build the team around.

Pascal Struijk

Struijk, like Ampadu, also had a terrific first half of the campaign last year but then suffered a setback in his recovery from an adductor issue and underwent surgery. During the first half of the season, Struijk had predominantly formed a formidable centre-back partnership with Joe Rodon at centre-back, although Ampadu had to step in for the remainder of the campaign.

The Spurs loanee and Struijk complemented each other well as a duo, with Struijk more accomplished in possession and Rodon the stronger physical presence of the pair. Struijk himself was also growing into the role as a leadership figure and captain as well, having been selected before Ampadu in Cooper's absence. His personality in the dressing room and around the training ground had seen him become an influential figure at Leeds.

Ampadu has established himself as a real leader in defence or midfield for Farke, but Struijk too enjoyed a brilliant first half of the campaign, leaving the Leeds boss with a decision to make should Cooper depart this summer. He and Ampadu are evidently players that Farke clearly adores, and the increased responsibility as captains in Cooper's absence also highlights that.

It was a frustrating campaign for Struijk in the end, but his quality as a player is undeniable. Initially, Leeds had been hoping to welcome him back just after the international break, with injections carrying him through to the end of the season. However, had he stayed fit until May, it is fairly likely that Leeds would be a Premier League side right now.

His injury is a frustration in that sense, but it also means Leeds stand a better chance of retaining him in the summer window if other teams are unwilling to take a chance after such a long lay-off, which could be a huge factor in the 2024/25 season.

Although Rodon is clearly the better covering defender, with more recovery speed, combativeness, and aerial prowess, Struijk's ball-progression and show of personality when driving the ball into midfield areas are second-to-none in the second tier. Together, he made 17 starts alongside the Welsh duo of Ampadu and Rodon, with Leeds winning 11 times with a further four draws in that period, and they conceded just 16 goals when that trio were in action.

With Rodon now secured permanently and Struijk now fit, it makes Leeds strong once again in an area that had been so imperious, whilst Ampadu dominated midfield battles in his best role just in front of them. Together, they were arguably the best defensive axis in the division prior to Struijk's blow.

Struijk is a crucial player for the Whites heading into next season as one of the best ball-playing defenders in the division, and gives Leeds balance with a right and left-footer as well. He also became a huge set-piece threat for the side last term as well - notching five goals from centre-back.

It's perhaps the rationale of some at the club that selling Gray could allow Leeds to keep other stars such as Struijk and Ampadu. They may have less potential and lower ceilings as footballers, but their immediate impact on the side is far more pronounced, as shown by their quality and consistency last season as two of Leeds' most vital players when they played.

They are both massive players and personalities, and the right side of 25 as well. Struijk and Ampadu are the cornerstones of a second promotion push in what looks like, on paper at least, to be a weakened Championship at the top-end of the division next year. They are also worthy captain and vice-captain candidates, whichever way round, Farke chooses them to be in that regard.