When you compare Elland Road’s current situation to this time last season, there has been a significant improvement.
For many Leeds United supporters, the club’s relegation to the Championship and overall disillusionment with its management left a foul taste in their mouths. It appeared that their three-year stint in the top flight might have been their lone shot at the comeback to glory that they had all dreamed of.
The club made significant improvements in the summer that have prevented the fall into the Championship from happening as badly as it could have. With a new manager, a plethora of new players, and new ownership, the Whites are again on track to make the Premier League.
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.
According to Phil Hay of The Athletic, Ampadu was being pursued by two mid-table sides in the Italian football league’s top division for a summer signing. His agency’s strong ties to former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann also attracted interest from Germany’s top league.
According to Hay, a few Premier League teams made exploratory bids for the 23-year-old, but the Championship was receiving the most of the interest.
According to a source who spoke with The Athletic, Ampadu would not have accepted a bid from the team if they had approached him the previous season due to their former owners. However, they commended the 49ers company, or the new owners, for appointing the most qualified individuals to lead the team.
Hay continued by saying that Chelsea had initially decided that a £10 million sum would be sufficient to release Ampadu, with Carlo Cudicini—the current loans manager and former Chelsea goalkeeper—thinking that a long-term departure from Stamford Bridge would be ideal for Ampadu. According to The Athletic, Leeds paid £7 million for him plus a further £3 million.
Leeds paid a lot of money for Ethan Ampadu.
A major factor in the Welshman’s success has been his adaptability. Ampadu was used as a holding midfielder throughout the initial part of the season, but he had to return to the center of defense due to injuries. He performed admirably in both situations.
Because of players like Ampadu and Archie Gray, who have had to exhibit comparable levels of positional flexibility to keep this Leeds squad competitive, Farke now possesses an incredible amount of tactical versatility. For a player of that caliber, £10 million is an incredible deal.
