Leeds could sign Rutter and dream of landing the 33-goal star

Leeds United made four additions to their first team during the summer transfer window, having failed to gain promotion to the Premier League last season.

The Whites lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley in May and are now preparing for a second season in the Championship.

Daniel Farke is set to bring Joe Rodon on a permanent deal from Tottenham Hotspur after his loan spell at Elland Road during the 2023/24 campaign, with Archie Gray heading to Spurs on a separate deal.

Leeds then signed Alex Cairns to provide back-up to Illan Meslier and Karl Darlow, central midfielder Joe Rothwell joined on a season-long loan from Bournemouth, and Jayden Bogle was signed from Sheffield United.

Farke may be looking to make additions to his attacking options in the coming weeks, after his side struggled badly in front of goal in the second half.

The West Yorkshire side have scored 82 goals from 94.57 xG in the Championship, showing that the management side have missed many quality opportunities.

Leeds had a tough finish last season

The Whites have underperformed against their xG by a large margin as a number of their players have endured frustrating seasons when it comes to finishing high xG chances.

Three of Leeds' four first-team strikers were among Leeds' top five under-performers compared to their xG, indicating a clear problem in the squad.

As you can see in the table above, Georginio Rutter and Patrick Bamford combined for an xG difference of -11.16. This was a spectacular underperformance and could have been costly in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Leeds finished third in the table and could have moved into the top two ahead of Ipswich Town or Leicester City, had they matched their xG total, or done better.

These figures, therefore, suggest that Farke needs to bring in top-class finishers to bolster his squad in order to capitalize on the high-quality chances his team can create on a regular basis.

With this in mind, Leeds must heed Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony's request for the club to sign Blackburn Rovers star Sammie Szmodics, in order to secure promotion to the top flight.

The Irishman could come in as a dream signing for Rutter at the other end of the pitch, to capitalize on the Frenchman's brilliance.

The creative genius of Georginio Rutter

The former Hoffenheim whiz is a great creative talent who can constantly tear apart opposition defenses to create chances for his teammates in the final third.

In fact, Rutter ranked in the top 2% of the Championship for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.29) and the top 2% of Assists per 90 (0.39), indicating that he was one of the best players in his position. when it comes to creating others.

Not many forwards in the division have created as many quality chances as Leeds' left-footed side did in the 2023/24 campaign.

As you can see in the table above, his teammates did not take full advantage of the 'big chances' they created as they scored only 15 of the 22 goals.

His amazing ability to see and play a pass that cuts through the heart of the defense makes him a constant threat to opposing teams, who must find ways to isolate him in games. But, as you can see from his stats, defenders rarely keep him quiet in the second division.

This suggests that Rutter could benefit from having a striker next to him who knows how to finish at a different rate, as Bamford and Joseph – as evidenced by their xG inefficiency – have yet to prove they are that player.

However, Szmodics could be that player considering his performances for Blackburn during the 2023/24 campaign, as he proved himself to be a lethal finisher.

Why Sammie Szmodics would be Georginio Rutter's dream signing

The Irish striker has scored 33 goals in 48 games in all competitions for Rovers, although he has mostly been seen as an attacking midfielder.

This immediately suggests that the Blackburn star is a fearsome striker who can score every time he plays for the Championship club.

In fact, Szmodics ranks in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the 90 non-penalty goals category (0.62), which speaks to how often he has found the target compared to his current peers.

At the age of 28, Leeds will be signing a player who is in the prime of his life and could hit the ground running next season, rather than gambling on a young or inexperienced foreign striker. experience in the Championship.

As you can see in the table above, Szmodics scored 27 goals from 22.36 xG in the league and that is an amazing performance of more than four goals.

This shows that the Irishman, who was praised by former manager Jon Dahl Tomasson, had the ability to make the most of the high quality opportunities his team was able to create for him week in and week out.

Therefore, he would be a dream signing to play alongside Rutter as the French magician could provide him with enough supply to become a lethal striker for Leeds going forward.

Which is why Farke must now turn around and sign the Blackburn striker to form a formidable pairing with Rutter in the final third at Elland Road next term.