Leeds struck gold with star who’s now worth millions less

Leeds United fans will be impressed by how well their side has dealt with adversity so far this season, as Daniel Farke had to pick up the pieces from a number of high profile departures this summer, and form a new-look Whites XI capable of challenging near the top of the Championship.

The early indicators seem to suggest that the Whites will be in the promotion reckoning for the majority of the long season ahead, with six games already done and dusted in the testing division, with Leeds only losing one match so far.

It seems as though the signings in through the door this summer have been thought about methodically too, away from Leeds’ recent Premier League past when rash purchases entered the building and flopped, with new summer buy Largie Ramazani opening his Whites account this weekend just gone away at Cardiff City.

Moreover, the likes of Ao Tanaka and Manor Solomon have equally looked comfortable at the level when thrown into action, with the German well aware that he will need to utilise his full squad to stand a chance at promotion.

Whilst these new faces look as if they’re settling in well, other purchases from Leeds’ not-so-distant Premier League days never managed to win over the hardened Elland Road masses, including this expensive £20m buy back in 2022.

Tyler Adams’ transfer to Leeds

Tyler Adams would arrive in Leeds in the same hectic summer transfer window that saw the likes of Luis Sinisterra, Maximilian Wober and many others join for mega bucks from luxurious European outfits, with the hype surrounding all these lavish buys through the roof.

Many saw the American midfielder as a natural successor to Kalvin Phillips as well, who was moved on that hectic window to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, with those who were expecting the world of the ex-RB Leipzig man on his arrival severely let down with what they actually got.

He was also meant to be a smart pick-up owing to his former connections to then Leeds boss Jesse Marsch, with the pair having spent time with each other at New York Red Bulls and RB Leipzig, but not even that affinity could help breathe life into the now 25-year-old’s forgettable time in West Yorkshire.

Instead, Adams’ time at Leeds would pass him by as he had neither the leadership skills nor the tenacity of the departing Phillips to steer his new side away from relegation doom, with his one full campaign playing for the Whites stained by Leeds dropping down to the second tier.

The main Leeds lineup has gone through some major changes since Adams’ debut, with six of the starting eleven that comprised the above team now off the Whites roster, but Leeds will at least be pleased they managed to sell on the American dud permanently as opposed to other flops who are only away from Elland Road on loan temporarily.

AFC Bournemouth, despite Adams putting in some unmemorable performances across his 26-game stint in West Yorkshire, decided to buy the struggling 27-year-old for £24m after the Whites had succumbed to their relegation fate, in the hope that they could be the club to get a tune out of the underperforming former Leipzig man.

However, the Cherries will probably have wished they never bothered taking a gamble on the American now, who has had to deal with a whole host of injury issues since relocating to the South Coast last year.

Adams’ time at Bournemouth

Instead of sparking back into life as a top performer for Bournemouth, with his past pedigree seeing him line up in the Champions League for Leipzig alongside notable names such as Dani Olmo and Christopher Nkunku, the former Leeds flop has been a permanent fixture of the Vitality Stadium treatment room.

Since joining in the summer of 2023, Adams has only been fit to play four total games for Andoni Iraola’s side, with only one full 90 minutes managed by the 5 foot 9 midfielder as well across this disastrous span of his career.

The injury-prone midfielder did show signs of his quality during that rare full 90 minutes against Everton in March, with nine duels impressively won against the Toffees, but the Cherries number 18 has been nowhere to be seen this campaign so far for his employers.

It’s led to his value dramatically dropping down from the £24m Bournemouth once forked out, when looking at Football Transfers, with Adams worth considerably less now.

Adams’ value in 2024

According to the site, the 27-year-old is worth just £13.1m now, which is a big decrease from the £24m he once was worth.

Adams’ value in 2024 is actually less now than the likes of Ethan Ampadu back playing for Farke, who excels in one of the holding midfield spots that the American used to occupy for Leeds, with the Welshman worth £15.4m compared next to the current Bournemouth dud.

The American’s value will no doubt continue to fall more and more, as his injury demons continue to get the better of him, with Adams missing from action at the moment yet again owing to back surgery.

Iraola even worryingly admitted that he doesn’t know when he will have his number 18 available for selection again when candidly talking about his injury issues in pre-season, as Leeds continue to thank their lucky stars that they cashed in on the ex-Leipzig midfielder when they did.

It now feels like an eternity ago that Adams was scoring crucial goals like these for Leipzig in the Champions League, but Leeds would have just taken the money and ran when Bournemouth came in, as the Whites focus solely now on winning promotion this season away from Adams’ continued woes.