Leeds United, despite a rocky start to the Championship season, now find themselves in fourth position in the early league standings after a rather comfortable 2-0 victory against Hull City last time out.
The despair that engulfed Elland Road when the likes of Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter all packed their bags for pastures new in quick succession has lessened now, as Daniel Farke now goes about rallying his new-look troops to put together another promotion push.
He will hope he can rely on a number of new recruits that entered through the door during this frantic summer transfer window to steer the Whites up the league, as Largie Ramazani and Manor Solomon both joined to give Leeds even more down the flanks, away from the heroics of Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto.
Ramazani was only given a late second-half run-out against the Tigers but will hope he can push for a starting spot in the weeks to come, with the ex-Manchester United youngster having the potential to even displace the aforementioned Italian if he manages to gel in well.
What Ramazani cost Leeds this summer
The agile 5 foot 6 winger was formerly in and around the youth structure at the Theatre of Dreams, before joining one of Man United's many arch-rivals in the Whites.
The Belgian attacker would never quite make the grade at Old Trafford, however, as the now 23-year-old would only go to make one first-team appearance for the illustrious Red Devils, after firing in 11 goals from just 18 games in the U23 set-up.
Ramazani won't regularly play his disappointing time in Manchester on loop back in his head though, with the explosive forward forgetting all about his underwhelming spell in England quickly when starring out in Spain for Almeria, away from the Premier League giants.
The eight-time Belgium U23 international would show those back in England what they were missing out on when pulling on the strip of his new Spanish outfit, firing home 22 goals and picking up nine assists from 128 games, which included the strike below shocking Real Madrid back in 2022.
His blistering form for Almeria would eventually catch the eye of Farke and Co, who decided to purchase the diminutive attacker for a bumper £9.2m recently, after capitalising on his former employers suffering relegation from La Liga.
Ramazani will hope he can play a big part in Leeds achieving promotion come the end of this season, away from only being utilised off the bench by his manager on his debut, potentially even facing off against Man United in the process to further prove his doubters wrong.
Away from the 23-year-old only being given fleeting minutes to impress versus Hull, Solomon was thrown straight in at the deep end and it more than paid off in the routine 2-0 win.
How much Solomon could cost to sign permanently
Buying Ramazani for a big £9.2m fee did quell some nerves in the Whites fanbase surrounding a lack of a star man being present down the flanks, owing to Summerville no longer being around.
But, snapping up Solomon on a loan deal from Tottenham Hotspur more than got the disgruntled Leeds masses back on side, with the £60k-per-week attacker – as per Capology – operating as an absolute livewire at the peak of his game.
Minutes played
74
Goals scored
0
Assists
1
Touches
50
Accurate passes
26/31 (84%)
Key passes
2
Shots
2
Successful dribbles
2/4
Duels won
5/10
Despite being new to the Leeds group, Solomon shone on his debut surrounded by all his fresh teammates, with a mazey run forward unlocking Hull for the West Yorkshire outfit's opener, as Mateo Joseph cleverly slotted home for 1-0.
Attempting two efforts of his own in the contest as well, the Israel international could cause Championship defences all sorts of bother in matches to come, having been an exciting prospect in North London before injury issues began to pile up.
When donning Spurs white, as opposed to his new strip, Solomon would make an equally electric start out of the blocks, with two assists from his opening six appearances.
Recurring knee troubles then stopped him firmly in his tracks, but if he can be a terrifying star in the second tier for Farke's men and really help in their bid to return to the Premier League, Leeds could be tempted to test Ange Postecoglou's side and their resolve over a permanent deal down the line.
Warmly received by the Elland Road faithful at full-time against Tim Walter's men, Solomon would cost the Whites an extortionate £9.9m – according to Football Tranfers xTV model – to get through the door on a permanent basis.
But, if he can keep up these top performances, he could be worth that high amount down the line, with Leeds potentially injected with even more cash into the transfer kitty if promotion is won.
Away from the flashy new faces, however, Joel Piroe proved his worth to the Leeds cause against the Tigers with his late strike sealing all three points.
The Dutchman has had his naysayers of late in West Yorkshire, but his ice-cold nature in front of goal remains an effective calling card, with the former Swansea City man also worth more than both Solomon and Ramazani, as per Football Transfers and Ramazani's reported £9.2m price-tag.
Piroe's transfer value in 2024
According to the site, Piroe is still worth a hefty £11.8m, despite his reputation taking a battering at Elland Road recently.
The 25-year-old notably struggled in Leeds' opening handful of Championship games, before two wins on the bounce were secured, with his showing away at West Bromwich Albion in the middle of August very much irking the Whites contingent at the Hawthorns, with only seven accurate passes managed and one duel won.
Player
Value
1. Wilfried Gnonto
£18.2m
2. Brenden Aaronson
£17.2m
3. Ethan Ampadu
£17.1m
4. Ilian Meslier
£16.2m
5. Maximilian Wober
£14.1m
Regardless, Piroe only narrowly misses out on appearing on the above list involving Leeds' highest value assets, with his value now not far off the bumper £16m the Whites reportedly purchased him for in 2022.
He is already beginning to redeem himself in a Leeds shirt after a goal-shy opening few matches too, owing to his strike against Hull clinching the game in his side's favour, firing home after managing just ten touches of the ball from off the bench.
The former Swans attacker very much lived up to his "clinical" billing – which was handed to him by football journalist Josh Bunting – therefore, with the 25-year-old now onto 55 Championship goals across his time in the EFL after this crucial strike.
Farke will pray that the Dutchman can keep up his clinical edge in front of goal in vital second-tier clashes to come, as Leeds begin to see a bright future on the horizon, even after such a disorienting summer.
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