“No More Excuses” – Leeds United urged to take transfer action to fill Georginio Rutter’s void (Fan perspective)

The Frenchman’s departure from Leeds United during the summer transfer window was one of several high-profile exits, as Brighton triggered his £40m release clause.

Leeds had signed Rutter in January for a club-record fee that could rise to £36m, but he struggled to adapt to Premier League football.

However, in the Championship, he proved his value by scoring seven goals and assisting 15 others in the previous season.

Replacing him was always going to be challenging, but Leeds made significant efforts to fill the gap.

Reports suggest that Leeds submitted a surprising £13m bid for Gus Hamer, which was turned down by promotion rivals Sheffield United.

They also made attempts to sign Roland Sallai from Bundesliga club Freiburg, but those efforts failed as well.

After the window closed, Leeds’ chief executive Angus Kinnear disclosed that the club had also been targeting ambitious moves for James McAtee of Manchester City and Fabio Carvalho of Liverpool.

While Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola decided to keep McAtee, Carvalho joined Brentford for £27m.

Despite missing out on a direct replacement for Rutter, Leeds has not been significantly affected so far.

At the time of writing, they are in fifth place after seven matches of the new season, having won four of their last five games.

However, they have been urged to address the issue in the upcoming January transfer window.

Leeds United is expected to pursue an attacking midfielder in January, according to predictions by Kris Smith, a resident Leeds fan and pundit for Football League World.

He believes that the club will secure an attacking midfielder in the winter window after failing to do so in the summer.

“We missed out on an attacking midfielder during the summer, and it was clear that Farke was adamant about getting one.

He mentioned it in several press conferences, alongside the other positions we did fill, like a central midfielder and a left-back—but that attacking midfielder was the one that got away,” Kris explained.

Leeds made attempts for players like Roland Sallai, Gus Hamer, and James McAtee, but were unsuccessful.

Kris believes it’s logical that the club will still have this goal in mind and will look to rectify the situation in January.

“There are no excuses for not signing an attacking midfielder this time around,” he added.

“It’s hard to see how we’ll get someone of Hamer or Sallai’s caliber, but I have faith in this recruitment team to find a serious or ambitious signing that could boost our promotion chances—players like Isaac Schmidt, Largie Ramazani, or Ao Tanaka.

They’re less well-known but have the quality to be part of a top-two side.”

The fact that Leeds bid £13m for Hamer shows that the club has the funds available for a significant signing, and fans will not tolerate an inactive January window, according to Kris.

A new attacking midfielder could be a game-changer for Leeds United’s promotion push, depending on the quality of the player brought in.

Brenden Aaronson, who remained with the team against expectations, has had an impressive start to the season.

However, Kris pointed out that Aaronson cannot carry the entire burden of this role on his own, and competition in the position would be highly beneficial.

While Joel Piroe may offer some competition, Leeds needs a dynamic player who can move the ball forward and create opportunities—similar to what Rutter did for the team.

Kris believes that while fans shouldn’t expect a signing of Rutter’s caliber, bringing in someone with a similar style could make a significant impact heading into the second half of the season.

In summary, Leeds’ January transfer window will be critical to their promotion hopes, and securing an attacking midfielder is seen as a priority.

With the team currently performing well in the Championship, an additional quality player could provide the edge needed to push for promotion.