Winners and Losers From Leeds United’s Transfer Window

As the summer transfer window slammed shut on September 1, Leeds United’s first foray in the Premier League has already come under brutal scrutiny.

The numbers speak for themselves. Leeds signed ten new players at a combined cost of £98 million, ranking 15th in the league for total spend. On the other side of the table, only £7 million was brought in through sales, leaving a hefty net spend of -£91m.

In the aftermath, several football personalities have criticised the club’s dealings in the market in brutal assessments.

Jeff Stelling ranked The Whites’ window as one of the worst by Premier League clubs, whilst Ally McCoist proclaimed that Leeds did “nothing exciting at all”.

False Promises By Leeds Chairman

For all the promises that were made by Paraag Marathe, who is the chair of Leeds United and president of San Francisco 49ers.

In May, Marathe publicly stated: “Whatever they [Premier League] will let us spend, we’ll spend. I can comfortably say that we are going to spend the very last penny that we can.”

The numbers tell their own story. Leeds signed ten new players at a combined cost of £98 million, ranking 15th in the league for total spend.

On the other side of the ledger, only £7 million was brought in through sales; leaving a hefty net spend of -£91m.

So, who came out of the window smiling, and who didn’t?

Here are the winners and losers from a Leeds United perspective:

Winner: Lucas Perri

Among Leeds’ summer arrivals, few positions carried as much weight as goalkeeper. The success or failure of the window hinged heavily on finding stability between the posts, and in Lucas Perri they may finally have the answer.

Despite a couple of shaky moments early on, the Brazilian already looks capable of anchoring a defence that must remain resilient if Leeds are to stay clear of trouble this season.

In front of him, the new signings Jaka Bijol and Gabriel Gudmundsson have settled quickly. The midfield options of Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach offer the combative edge and balance that was missing last year.

The early evidence suggests Leeds have taken a genuine step forward defensively, with clean sheets against Everton and Newcastle underlining a structure built to withstand the grind of a relegation fight.

For Perri, the path is clear. With Leeds already out of the EFL Cup, and barring injuries, he is set to start every Premier League game.

That consistency gives him the platform to establish himself not only as Leeds’ No.1, but as one of the defining signings of how this window will fare a year or two from now.

Morgan Harlow | Credit: Getty Images

Loser: Daniel Farke

For all the public assurances given to Leeds fans, Daniel Farke must have entered the summer believing he would be backed to land key signings as well. Instead, target after target slipped away.

Igor Paixão, Bilal El Khannouss, Facundo Buonanotte, and Rodrigo Muniz were all considered viable options but ultimately could not be convinced. Even the frantic deadline day pursuit of Harry Wilson collapsed when Fulham failed to file the deal sheets in time.

The blame lies not with Farke, but with a hierarchy that hesitated until rivals swooped or scrambled for late contingency plans. Yet should results falter between now and January, it will be the manager left to face the music.

As things stand, Farke is left with a squad short on creative sparks. The absence of a natural number 10, and a lack of injury-free talisman remain glaring issues, particularly given Leeds’ struggles in front of goal so far this season.

A respectable return of four points from the opening nine only papers over cracks that the board has chosen not to fix, especially when comparing to how well Sunderland have recruited in the same timeframe despite losing Jobe Bellingham and Tom Watson.

Loser: Ilian Meslier

A move away from West Yorkshire never materialised for Ilan Meslier. The writing had been on the wall for the Frenchman since last season, when Karl Darlow was preferred ahead of him in the Championship.

The summer only underlined his decline in status. The arrival of Lucas Perri pushed him even further down the pecking order, leaving Meslier’s future hanging in limbo. Unless an unlikely late move to Turkey comes off in the coming days, he faces an awkward wait until January for any chance of an exit.

Talk of a return to Lorient, or even a surprising switch to Rangers, gathered pace in the final stretch of the window. However, both stories fizzled out before Deadline Day. The outcome ultimately leaves no winners in this scenario.

Leeds are stuck with a high-earning player they have no intention of using, while Meslier is left with no prospect of first-team football for months.

Loser: Leeds United Fans

If there is one group left feeling short-changed, it’s the Leeds supporters. The summer was billed as a turning point, with Paraag Marathe promising every penny would be spent to strengthen the squad. Instead, the fanbase is left questioning both the club’s ambition and its planning.

Up front, the situation is particularly bleak. The free transfers of Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin hardly inspire confidence, especially given both players’ troubling injury records.

With no reliable goalscorer secured and no number 10 besides Brendan Aaronson to unlock defences, Leeds look short of the cutting edge required to survive at this level. For fans who have already endured a Premier League side that struggles to score, it feels like a familiar frustration.

The early numbers only deepen the concern. Leeds are currently averaging a goal every 273 minutes, equating to just 0.33 goals per game. In comparison, they are conceding once every 54 minutes.

Admittedly, the 5-0 hammering against Arsenal skews those figures, but the upcoming fixtures against Fulham, Wolves, and Bournemouth will provide a far clearer picture of whether this team has enough to compete.

The faithful were promised excitement, but what they’ve received looks more like a patchwork job. Have they been sold false hope, or simply false numbers?

The hierarchy will argue that £100m spent represents serious investment, but the reality of how that money was spent is the question that lingers most loudly among supporters.

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