Georginio Rutter is enjoying an excellent first full season with Leeds United in the second tier as one of the main creative players in Daniel Farke’s team.
The 21-year-old became the club’s record signing when he arrived from Hoffenheim for a fee rising to £36 million in January. He came with a strong reputation from the Bundesliga club, having scored or assisted 19 in 64 games for them, mostly as a teenager, prompting Leeds to pay significant money for his services, although it is unlikely that all of that record-fee has been paid just yet, given the conditions of the add-ons in the deal.
Initially, it did not work out for Rutter in West Yorkshire, as he registered just one assist in 13 appearances in all competitions following his big-money move, with many of his minutes coming from the bench, and a good chunk of the fanbase were already willing to write him off as another Victor Orta mistake.
But under Farke, the Frenchman underwent a transformation as a player in the Championship, eventually emerging as one of Leeds’ most important players. In attack, he has been a revelation, coordinating plays with teammates and generating fouls to advance the Whites up the field.
Rutter’s 2023/24 season for Leeds
At the start of the season, he was mostly used as a center-forward who had more of a free-flowing role, occupying spaces to create opportunities for his teammates. But after Leeds’ tough Christmas schedule of games produced just one victory in five games, Farke made a number of changes, one of which being moving Rutter into a more advantageous position.
He had a rough beginning to his Leeds career, which resulted in relegation, but this season has been wonderful, as the Frenchman has played with genuine swagger and proven his abilities. In Farke’s crew, Rutter has had to be the primary creative force, and his interaction with Crysencio Summerville in particular has been essential.
One of the league’s most dynamic and dangerous forwards, he can turn and dribble to avoid pressure and has an excellent eye for a pass. The 21-year-old has a lot better technical skill set than the majority of second-tier players, and both the output and the data strongly support that.
He leads that specific category in the Championship with 15 assists, surpassing players like Leif Davis, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Gabriel Sara. The Not the Top 20 podcast’s Ali Maxwell went on to elaborate on why he is so important to Leeds and Farke this season:
Rutter’s significant Leeds problem
As Maxwell suggests, Rutter struck a bargain with the devil regarding his finishing prowess, which frequently leaves Leeds wanting. Rutter, according to FBref, has amassed 16 assists in addition to six goals. His creativity has been astounding; with 22 great opportunities created in the league, Sofasore ranks second only to Abdul Fatawu of Leicester City (25).
For Rutter to be among the most dynamic attacking players the Championship has seen in recent years, he needs to be able to move freely around the front line, impact games where he wants, and drag opponents about and out of position. The circumstances he finds himself in to either create or set up big chances for teammates
Six goals from an xG of 11.4 (FBref) is a woeful underperformance, and Rutter is ranked third in the Championship for big-time chances lost. It emphasizes how consistently excellent his positioning and understanding of space within and around the box are, but how extremely wasteful and inconsistent his finishing is.
Playing Rutter as one of the three behind the striker was always an option for Farke because of his incredible vision and skillful dribbling; he eventually gave it a shot and did so with great success. However, Rutter’s next step as a player needs to be to improve his finishing and the regularity and caliber of his ball-striking.
That is particularly important if Leeds are to stay in the Premier League if they manage to get promoted this season. One-on-one matches with a goalie are crucial for the 21-year-old’s development and improvement. Although he has exceptional calm, he completely loses it when he is close to the goal and has a tendency to lean back.
Although it seems unfair to critique a player with such extraordinary talent, he can always get better, which might eventually lead to him being a regular member of a team that competes in Europe. Leeds will be hoping to have it one day.
