Leeds United have long been in a position in the footballing pecking order where they know that they are always in danger of having to sell their best players.
In the early 2010s, the Whites routinely lost their best talents, with the likes of Bradley Johnson, Luciano Becchio, Jonny Howson, and Robert Snodgrass all joining Norwich City, Lewis Cook signing for Bournemouth, and Ross McCormack making the move to Fulham.
Fast forward many years later and it is still the case for the West Yorkshire outfit, who cashed in on several of their key players in the recent summer transfer window.
After Leeds failed to secure an instant return to the Premier League, losing 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final, the club moved on four of Daniel Farke‘s regular starters ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, and Glen Kamara all moved on from Elland Road, to join Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Rennes respectively.
These exits came as big blows for Leeds because of the individual quality that they provided on the pitch in the 2023/24 campaign for the German head coach, notably Summerville and Rutter.
Georginio Rutter’s form last season
The French forward initially made the move to Elland Road when the team was in the Premier League under Jesse Marsch, but failed to help them to avoid relegation down to the Championship.
Playing in the second tier, however, helped the left-footed star to thrive in West Yorkshire, as he enjoyed a mightily impressive season last term under Farke.
Rutter established himself as one of the finest attacking players in the division, despite struggling with his finishing, as he showcased his creative quality on a regular basis.
The left-footed whiz ranked within the top 2% of forwards in the league for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.41) and the top 2% for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.29).
This shows that he was one of the most creative players in the second tier amongst his peers, which is also backed up by his goal contributions in the Championship.
23/24 Championship | Georginio Rutter |
|---|---|
Appearances | 45 |
Goals | 6 |
Assists | 15 |
Big chances created | 22 |
Key passes per game | 1.9 |
Pass accuracy | 69% |
As you can see in the table above, Rutter consistently created ‘big chances’ for his teammates to find the back of the net, but struggled to score on a regular basis.
His form did, though, convince Brighton to swoop in to secure a deal for a reported fee of £40m, and he has produced two goals and two assists in eight Premier League starts for his new club so far.
Crysencio Summerville’s Player of the Year form
Meanwhile, Summerville was even more influential than Rutter for Leeds in the Championship, because he combined ruthless goalscoring with elite creativity.
The Dutch attacker won the PFA Championship Player of the Year award for the 2023/24 campaign, thanks to his incredible efforts on the left flank.
He ranked within the top 12% of wingers and attacking midfielders in the league for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.39) and the top 4% for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.30).
These statistics show that he coupled consistent goalscoring with consistent creativity, whilst Rutter only had the latter, and that was reflected in his end product in the league.
23/24 Championship | Crysencio Summerville |
|---|---|
Starts | 41 |
Goals | 19 |
Conversion rate | 15% |
Assists | 9 |
Big chances created | 17 |
Dribbles completed per game | 2.3 |
As you can see in the table above, Summerville contributed with 36 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in just 41 starts for the West Yorkshire outfit.
His form convinced Premier League side West Ham to swoop in and sign him for a reported fee of £25m, that could rise to £34m with add-ons, in the summer.
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This means that Leeds raked in a minimum of £65m and a potential of £74m from the sales of Rutter and Summerville. There is one former Whites star, however, who is now worth more than both of them combined – Raphinha.
Raphinha current market value
A report in Spain recently reported that Barcelona would not consider cashing on the Brazil international for a fee of less than a whopping €100m (£83m).
This means that the Spanish giants currently value the impressive winger at a fee of at least £83m, and that is significantly more than the £55m deal they agreed to sign him from Leeds in the summer of 2022, and is more than both of Rutter and Summerville’s fees combined.
Raphinha scored 17 goals and supplied 12 assists in 67 appearances for the Whites during two years in Yorkshire between 2020 and 2022, before his move to Barcelona.
He had a fairly average first couple of years in Spain, with 13 goals and 16 assists in his first two LaLiga seasons combined, before bursting into life this term.
The 27-year-old wizard, who was once hailed as a “magician” by former teammate Dan James, has produced an eye-catching 12 goals and ten assists in 17 games in all competitions – more than one goal contribution every match on average.
As you can see in the table below, Raphinha has been in stunning form in LaLiga for Barcelona, with a mind-blowing 21 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in 13 outings.
24/25 LaLiga | Raphinha |
|---|---|
Appearances | 13 |
Goals | 7 |
xG | 6.97 |
Big chances created | 14 |
Key passes per game | 3.4 |
Assists | 6 |
Wasteful finishing from his teammates has prevented his already impressive tally of goals and assists from being even greater, which speaks to just how incredible his performances have been.
Raphinha, in November, is only seven goal contributions away from matching his tally for his entire career at Leeds in the current season, illustrating how much he has developed and improved since his £55m exit from Elland Road.
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