There has been a huge turnaround at Elland Road when you compare the current state to how they were this time last season.
Relegation to the Championship and general disillusion about how the club was being run left a bad taste in many Leeds United fans` mouths. It looked like their return to the top flight may have only been a three-year cameo, and not the return to glory that they had all hoped for.
Massive changes around the club in the summer have ensured that the fall into the Championship hasn’t hit quite as hard as it could have. New ownership, a new manager, and a boat-load of new signings have put the Whites back on course towards the Premier League.
Championship Table (As it stands March 25th)
Team
P
GD
Pts
1
Leeds United
38
42
82
2
Leicester City
37
41
82
3
Ipswich Town
38
31
81
4
Southampton
36
26
73
5
West Brom
38
23
66
6
Norwich City
38
15
61
7
Hull City
37
7
58
8
Coventry City
37
16
57
All the acquisitions made by Daniel Farke, in the summer window, have proved to be a success. Regardless of how much or little they’ve played, there has been varying levels of positive impacts made by all of them.
One signing in particular has been absolutely crucial to the team, not just because of his quality, but also due to his dependability. That man is Ethan Ampadu, and Leeds did well to get a hold of him considering the other teams who were interested in him.
Leeds won battle with Serie A and Bundesliga teams to get Ethan Ampadu
The Welsh international had been with Chelsea since joining them from Exeter City in 2017, as a 16-year-old. He’d struggled to get into the first-team there, and had been sent out on loan to teams in the football league, and across Europe. These ventures onto the continent, especially his last two loan spells at Venezia and Spezia, in Italy, attracted attention.
Phil Hay, of The Athletic, reported that two mid-table teams in the top flight of Italian football were interested in signing Ampadu in the summer. There was also interest coming from Germany’s top division due to his agency’s good connections with former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann.
Some teams in the Premier League made speculative approaches for the 23-year-old, as per Hay, but the Championship was where the real interest was coming from.
Ethan Ampadu, Leeds v Hull City
One source told The Athletic that Ampadu would not have been willing to join the club if they had made an approach for him last season, because of their previous owners. But they praised the 49ers enterprise – the new owners – for putting the right people in place to run the club.
Hay added that Chelsea originally agreed that a £10 million fee would be enough for them to let him go, with Carlo Cudicini – former Chelsea goalkeeper and current loans manager – feeling that a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge would be best for Ampadu. Leeds signed him for £7 million plus up to £3 million in add-ons, as per The Athletic.
Leeds got Ethan Ampadu for a great deal
The Welshman’s versatility has been a key part of his success. Through the first part of the season, Ampadu was deployed as a holding midfielder, but injuries in defence meant that he needed to drop back into the centre of defence; he has done both roles to a brilliant standard.
Farke now has so much tactical flexibility because of players like Ampadu, as well as Archie Gray, who has had to perform similar acts of positional flexibility to keep this Leeds team ticking. £10 million for a player like that is an absolute bargain.
Matt O’Riley
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Leeds could take an interest in O’Riley again if they are promoted back to the Premier League.
The way he has been performing means that they will almost certainly have to pay Chelsea those add-ons, but who cares if Leeds go on to get promoted back to the top flight at the first time of asking? The new owners certainly won’t, and they should take massive credit for getting their new star through the door.
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RELATED TOPICS
CHAMPIONSHIP
LEEDS UNITED
ETHAN AMPADU
SERIE A
BUNDESLIGA
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Tiffen
(407 Articles Published)
Adam is an experienced sports journalist, having worked for a range of media outlets. He currently writes for both Football League World and its sister publication, GiveMeSport.
Prior to this, Adam applied his trade for other outlets like Combat Sports UK, and the Liverpool Echo. He also worked as Marine AFC’s Media Officer for their 2022/23 season.
Adam is a Carlisle United fan and has done lots of independent work covering the team’s transfer rumours and news since the summer of 2023.
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