“Significant Frustration” – Leeds United: Angus Kinnear Reveals Transfer Pursuits Involving Man City and Liverpool

Leeds United faced a second consecutive summer of player departures, with their ability to retain key players significantly weakened after failing to secure promotion back to the Premier League last season.

While they managed to hold on to Willy Gnonto, several others, including Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, and Georginio Rutter, opted to leave the club.

To compensate for Summerville’s exit and maintain their attacking options on the wings, manager Daniel Farke made late moves to sign Manor Solomon and Largie Ramazani.

However, Leeds were unable to find a direct replacement for Rutter, whose departure left a significant gap in their attacking lineup.

The skillful French forward contributed 15 assists for Leeds in the Championship last season, a performance that led Brighton and Hove Albion to activate his £40 million release clause.

Leeds are expected to challenge for promotion once again this season, but concerns remain regarding the attacking midfield position.

Brenden Aaronson has been tasked with filling Rutter’s role, but despite his solid start to the season, the two players have different styles, and Aaronson may not fully replicate Rutter’s impact.

Leeds United’s CEO, Angus Kinnear, recently revealed some missed transfer opportunities during an appearance on The Square Ball podcast.

Fans might find it frustrating that Kinnear openly discussed the club’s pursuit of high-profile players such as Gus Hamer from Sheffield United and Emi Buendia from Aston Villa, as well as their interest in Manchester City’s James McAtee and Brentford’s Fabio Carvalho.

Kinnear explained, “Two of the other players we were looking at were McAtee at Man City, who was rumored to be available throughout the window, but Pep [Guardiola] decided to keep him.

And Carvalho, who we thought might go out on loan to the Championship, ended up being sold to Brentford for £27 million.”

He added, “To improve our team, we need to shop at the highest level possible.

There’s a lot of frustration that we couldn’t secure some of those targets.”

Leeds supporters have been vocal about the club’s inability to adequately replace key players despite earning substantial transfer fees from their sales.

While the arrivals of Solomon and Ramazani have helped ease concerns about Summerville’s exit, the lack of a direct replacement for Rutter still lingers.

Kinnear’s revelations about McAtee and Carvalho may only add to that frustration.

Leeds’ ambition to target players like McAtee and Carvalho is clear, as both would have been major signings.

Guardiola’s decision to keep McAtee in Manchester City’s squad and Brentford’s willingness to pay nearly £30 million for Carvalho underscore the quality of these players.

Both have a history of performing well in the Championship, with Carvalho scoring nine goals while on loan at Hull City from Liverpool last season.

Although Leeds had some time after missing out on McAtee and Carvalho to pursue other options, they ultimately didn’t bring in a player of Rutter’s caliber.

While it was always going to be difficult to replace someone of his quality, the failure to sign a suitable alternative could hinder Leeds’ chances until at least the January transfer window.