Left for £7m: Orta struck gold by selling Leeds star who’s now worth £843k.
Before the transfer window closed, head coach of Leeds United Daniel Farke had to undergo a challenging summer filled with rumours about his top players.
In addition to addressing the rumours, the German head coach had to cope with the departure of some of his main players from Elland Road, including Glen Kamara, Archie Grey, Georginio Rutter, and Crysencio Summerville.
Due to their importance to the team last season, all four of those players started at least 36 Championship games for the team in the 2023–24 season.
However, the former Norwich City manager was permitted to enter the market to add players to his roster; he did so by bringing in players like Joe Rodon, Isaac Schmidt, Largie Ramazani, and Alex.
Farke seemingly identified the central midfield area as one that needed to be strengthened, as the club brought in Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell in that position, after Kamara was sold to Rennes.
The Leeds boss now has a plethora of midfield options to choose from each week and has strong competition for places in that area of the pitch.
Leeds United’s current midfield options
Ilia Gruev, a Bulgarian international, and captain Ethan Ampadu were chosen to play in the middle of the park during the team’s most recent 1-0 loss against Burnley.
Tanaka and Rothwell, the summer acquisitions, were made to sit on the bench in an effort to try to alter the course of the match.
Ampadu has started every 54 Championship games under Farke’s direction, including the play-offs. This indicates that he won’t be losing his spot in the starting lineup very soon, and Rothwell, Gruev, or Tanaka may be the players chosen to start beside the Wales international.
| Leeds midfielders | Market value |
|---|---|
| Ethan Ampadu | £13.5m |
| Ilia Gruev | £4.2m |
| Ao Tanaka | £3.4m |
| Joe Rothwell | £2.1m |
| Values via Transfermarkt | |
The above table shows that Rothwell, who is on loan from Bournemouth, is the least useful central midfield player in the team, whereas the former Chelsea player is by far the most valuable.
When Kamara moved from Leeds to Rennes in the summer for a reported £8.4 million, he was the second most valuable player in that group. The Whites will be praying they live to rue that transaction.
Ronaldo Vieira, whose value has fallen since leaving Elland Road in 2018, is one costly central midfield sale that Leeds will undoubtedly not regret.
How much Leeds sold Ronaldo Vieira for
Before Marcelo Bielsa’s debut season with the team, in the summer of 2018, previous sporting director Victor Orta decided to cash in on the youthful talent for an estimated value of £7 million.
After joining the Whites in 2015 from the i2i Football Academy, he progressed through the youth ranks and became a regular first-team player in the 2016–17 season.
During his breakout season in the Championship, Vieira demonstrated his skill with the ball and his aggressive style in the middle of the park, displaying a lot of promise.
Dubbed “bombastic” by former coach Simon Collins, the adolescent sensation had 34 appearances and 24 starts in the division, completing 81% of his throws and a noteworthy 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game.
With 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game in 28 Championship games, his physical midfield abilities were on display once more in the 2017–18 season.
| 2017/18 Championship | Ronaldo Vieira |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 28 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Pass accuracy | 79% |
| Tackles + interceptions per game | 3.5 |
| Ground duel success rate | 47% |
| Aerial duel success rate | 40% |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
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