Leeds United officially completed their fifth signing of the summer transfer window on Thursday when they confirmed the arrival of Largie Ramazani.
Joe Rothwell, Alex Cairns, Joe Rodon, and Jayden Bogle had been brought to West Yorkshire to bolster the squad before the Belgian whiz's services were secured.
The winger has joined the Whites in a £10m deal from Almeria and will be tasked with taking over from Crysencio Summerville in the left wing position.
Daniel Farke was dealt a big blow when Summerville left to sign for Premier League side West Ham United earlier this summer, as the Dutchman was a key player in the Championship last season.
Starts
41
Goals
19
Conversion rate
15%
Assists
9
Dribbles completed per game
2.3
As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old star was a consistent contributor at the top end of the pitch, with 28 direct goal involvements in 41 starts during the regular season.
Summerville is not the only star attacker who has moved on from Elland Road during the summer transfer window, however, as the Whites have also lost the mercurial talent that is Georginio Rutter.
What Leeds have lost with Georgino Rutter's exit
The French magician completed a transfer to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month and his exit has left a gaping hole in the number ten position in West Yorkshire.
Ahead of his move to the AMEX, Rutter was not involved against West Bromwich Albion last weekend and his absence was felt as Leeds only registered 0.7 xG and created one 'big chance' as a team in a 0-0 draw.
Joel Piroe lined up in the attacking midfield role for Farke and endured a rough afternoon. The Dutchman did not create a single chance for his teammates, lost six of his seven duels, and completed just 58% of his attempted passes.
Leeds' struggles in the final third and Piroe's dismal display as a number ten perfectly illustrated the need to bring in a direct replacement for Rutter, who was a creative genius in the Championship last season.
The left-footed maestro consistently provided quality as a creator for his teammates at the top end of the pitch in the second tier, with his ability to split open opposition defences with his passes.
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 was immense for Leeds when it came to creating high-quality opportunities from an attacking midfield role.
In fact, the French ace ranked within the top 2% of forwards in the division for assists (0.39) per 90 and Expected Assisted Goals (0.29) per 90, which shows that he was one of the most creative players in his position in the Championship.
Farke could forget all about Rutter, however, by dipping into the market before the deadline passes next week to secure one of the club's reported targets.
Leeds' interest in French wizard
According to a report from Foot Mercato earlier this month, Leeds are one of the teams interested in a possible swoop for Paris FC attacking midfielder Ilan Kebbal.
The outlet claimed that fellow Championship side Burnley, who have just been relegated from the Premier League, are also eyeing up a deal for the 26-year-old star.
It was revealed that the two teams have already contacted the player's representatives to find out whether or not a deal is viable before the end of the window.
Foot Mercato added that there could be negotiations between the English sides and Paris FC over the coming days to discuss a move for the French whiz.
However, it was not revealed how much the Ligue 2 outfit would demand to allow the forward to move on from the club before next Friday's deadline.
The £3.1k-per-week ace still has two years left to run on his current contract with Paris and this suggests that they will not be in a rush to cash in on him, as he is not in the last 12 months of his deal.
If Leeds can secure a deal for the talented gem ahead of Burnley before the window slams shut, though, then it could allow Farke to fully move on from Rutter.
Why Leeds should sign Ilan Kebbal
As mentioned earlier, the Whites have lost a lot of creativity from their squad because of the former Hoffenheim starlet's move to Brighton this month.
This means that they need to sign an attacking midfielder who can consistently create chances for his teammates to score, which is exactly what Kebbal is.
His form for Paris in Ligue 2 suggests that he would arrive at Elland Road as a dream replacement for Rutter, due to his creative qualities as a number ten.
He started the current campaign with an impressive performance against Caen. The Leeds target created three chances, one 'big chance, and scored – from the penalty spot – in a 2-0 win for his side.
Kebbal has continued from where he left off in the 2023/24 campaign, as the talented wizard had enjoyed a terrific season last term with Paris.
Appearances
37
Goals
6
Assists
11
Big chances created
13
Key passes per game
2.9
As you can see in the table above, the French ace was similar to Rutter in a number ten role in the sense that he did not provide a huge goal threat but could consistently create chances for his teammates.
Kebbal ranked within the top 2% of forwards for assists (0.32) per 90 and the top 1% for Expected Assisted Goals (0.31) per 90, which means that he racked up more xAG per 90 than Rutter (0.29) did in the Championship.
These statistics suggest that the Paris star, who Stade Brest's Hugo Magnetti described as "magnificent", has the potential to be even more creative than the former Leeds star.
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Therefore, Farke could forget all about Rutter by securing a deal to sign Kebbal, due to the 26-year-old's potential to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch in the Championship.