Leeds could sign Rutter 2.0 of the ever “troublesome” star

The summer transfer window officially opens for business later this month as Leeds United prepare for a second season in the Championship.

They failed to achieve their goal of a quick return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, as they were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley last month.

This means that Daniel Farke and his men must be ready for another attack in the second division in terms of greater success than this year.

The German coach may see a big change in his team as there is still a transfer window left as a number of exiting stars have appeared.

It is said that midfielder Wilfried Gnonto is looking to move to Serie A, while star player Crysencio Summerville has been linked with Liverpool in the Premier League.

Squad changes will, naturally, mean that Leeds will need to bring in new players to refresh and improve the squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

One star linked with a move to Elland Road this summer could step in and develop into Farke's Georgino Rutter 2.0…

Leeds United interest in Premier League whiz release

Last month, AfricaFoot reported that Leeds were one of the clubs showing interest in signing attacking midfielder Ateef Konate.

The 23-year-old wizard recently confirmed his departure from Premier League side Nottingham Forest and AfricaFoot said it was his decision, as the player wants to explore a new challenge.

It has been said that Huddersfield, Sunderland, Derby County, Westerlo, and Vitesse Arnhem are also keen on the talented youngster, and look set to offer competition for his services.

Pundit Carlton Palmer suggested in Football League World that Derby would be the best place for Konate because of Paul Warne and his work with young players, as well as the opportunity to play regular football.

Farke, however, is an excellent manager of young players as evidenced by the star's development in the Championship. Max Aarons won the division's Young Player of the Season award for the 2018/19 campaign during his time with Norwich, while Archie Gray won it with Leeds under the German manager this term.

This suggests he could be the perfect manager to bring out the best in Konate if the French whiz, can emerge as Rutter 2.0 at Elland Road.

Georgino Rutter's season by the numbers

The 22-year-old wizard has shown his quality and versatility for Leeds throughout the 2023/24 campaign with his excellent performances on the pitch.

Relegation from the Premier League gave the former Hoffenheim man the opportunity to play regular football at a lower level to hone and develop his skills, which is exactly what he did.

He was able to show his talent in different areas as Farke played him as a second striker ten times, used him as an attacking midfielder in 14 games, and as a striker in 26 games.

As you can see from the table above, Rutter's combined efforts in those three positions resulted in him contributing 21 goals in 45 league appearances for the Whites.

He collected an impressive 10.52 xA and created 22 'big chances' for his teammates, which speaks to his ability to create quality chances as a striker and attacking midfielder.

However, his finishing left much to be desired as his six goals came at an eye-catching 12.34 xG, showing that the French striker was incredibly wasteful of the chances he did get in the box.

Overall, though, it's clear that Rutter has had a huge impact on the other end of the pitch as a goal scorer and goal creator from multiple positions.

Leeds don't have another player like him to fill in if he's unavailable or out of form as Farke doesn't have another attacking midfielder in the squad, with centre-forward Joel Piroe sometimes having to fill in.

Why Ateef Konate could be Georginio Rutter 2.0

Konate could fit in as Rutter's dream student as he could be unlocked as the next version of his compatriot, due to his versatility and ability.

Firstly, the 23-year-old gem is a versatile player who has played as an attacking midfielder or as a striker in his career, as a Leeds star, but has also been deployed on the left and as a striker. second striker.

He did not make a first-team breakthrough with Forest in the Premier League but the form for their U21 side in Premier League 2 suggests the potential is there for him to make a big impact in the final third.

Journalist Josh Bunting praised him as an “impressive” assistant who is always on the move to “cause problems” for opposition defenders, and that is backed up by his excellent record at that level.

As you can see from the table above, Konate has collected 33 direct goals in 50 Premier League 2 games for Tricky Trees, which shows his quality as a scorer and goal creator.

The figures suggest the 'impressive' ace could emerge as an exciting attacking option for Farke if he can help the youngster translate his second-tier performances to first-team level.

The Leeds target has also shown his brilliance and playmaking ability in the EFL Trophy this season with 2.0 completions and 1.3 key passes per game in four competitions, while Rutter has made 2.8 successful dribbles per game in Championship for the Whites.

Overall, Konate could arrive at Elland Road as Rutter 2.0 as he is another versatile French gem who can play as a striker or as a number ten, while providing quality as a driving player, creator, and goalscorer.