Leeds United confirmed their latest signing of the summer transfer window on Tuesday when they welcomed 6 foot 4 defensive midfielder Anton Stach to the club.
The German star has put pen to paper on a four-year contract to join Gabriel Gudmundsson, Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Sean Longstaff, and Lukas Nmecha in arriving at Elland Road this summer.
Whilst there is, clearly, plenty of work going on behind the scenes to bolster the club with new signings, there is also the possibility that Leeds could move on from some players.
It was recently reported that Spanish sides Real Betis and Celta Vigo are both interested in signing Mateo Joseph, who has asked to move on from Elland Road this summer.
The Whites are said to value the Spain U21 international, who came through the academy set-up at Thorp Arch, at a fee of around £10m, and it remains to be seen if either team are willing to pay that price for him.
Why Leeds may sell Mateo Joseph
On the face of it, selling a 21-year-old, academy graduate, Spanish youth international who has shown promise as a striker may not seem to be an attractive prospect for Leeds.
However, selling Joseph for £10m, should a team meet that valuation, would strengthen the club’s situation with PSR and potentially allow them to reinvest more money into their starting XI for the upcoming Premier League season.
Whilst the Spanish striker is an exciting prospect, it is fair to say that he is not expected to be a regular starter for the Whites in the top-flight, after the forward scored three goals in 39 appearances, including 11 starts, in the Championship last season.
Appearances
39
Starts
11
xG
5.10
Goals
3
Big chances missed
6
Big chances created
4
xA
1.47
Assists
3
Joseph failed to establish himself as a regular starter in the second tier, as Joel Piroe took the number nine mantle, and there is little to suggest that he is suddenly going to emerge as a Premier League-grade centre-forward in the next few months.
This is why it may make sense for Leeds to decide to cash in on him now to improve their team in the short-term as they look to avoid an instant relegation from the top-flight.
Whilst some may read that and think that the Whites would be ruining their long-term prospects, given Joseph’s age, in pursuit of a short-term objective, that may not be the case.
That is because the Premier League newboys are reportedly interested in a deal to sign another centre-forward who is even younger than Joseph, but could provide more quality on the pitch in the short term.
49ers in talks to seal new Leeds signing
According to Turkish-Football, the 49ers are interested in a deal to sign 19-year-old Besiktas centre-forward Semih Kilicsoy to bolster Daniel Farke’s squad.
The report claims that they have identified the Turkey international as a ‘prime target’, as they look to add to their attacking options ahead of the Premier League campaign.
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It adds that the Whites are impressed by the teenage forward’s potential and that they believe that he could be an excellent long-term signing for the club this summer.
The outlet states that the Turkish giants would be willing to part ways with the young attacker for a fee of up to £18m, because they recently signed Tammy Abraham to lead the line for the team next season.
Leeds could take advantage of that situation by offering Kilicsoy a chance to come to Elland Road to play regular football in the Premier League, and he could play alongside another exciting new addition.
The Whites are reportedly chasing a deal to sign £30m-rated Feyenoord winger Igor Paixao, who would love to play alongside the Turkish forward because of his potential as a finisher.
Why Leeds should sign Semih Kilicsoy
The 49ers could seriously bolster Farke’s options at the top end of the pitch by securing deals for both Paixao and Kilicsoy, who could form an exciting partnership in the final third.
In the 2024/25 campaign, the Feyenoord attacker created 12 ‘big chances’ and registered ten assists in the Eredivisie from the left flank, whilst he also assisted four goals in 11 games in the Champions League for the Dutch side, to go along with his 16 goals in the division.
This shows that the Brazilian star is a fantastic creative threat down the left wing, having assisted 15 goals in those two competitions last season, which is why he would love Kilicsoy, who could be an upgrade on Joseph in front of goal.
As aforementioned, the £10m-rated Leeds striker underperformed his xG by scoring three goals from 5.10 xG. Meanwhile, the Besiktas forward has shown promise as a finisher over the last two seasons in the Super Lig.
Appearances
55
Starts
31
xG
9.90
Goals
14
Big chances created
11
Assists
6
As you can see in the table above, Kilicsoy has overperformed his xG by roughly four goals in the last two seasons, whilst he has also created 11 ‘big chances’ in 31 starts.
The Turkish star, who was described as a “powerful” forward by analyst Ben Mattinson, has showcased his ability to ruthlessly finish the high-quality chances that are created for him, which is why Paixao could love him as a winger who has the quality to consistently create those kinds of openings.
This means that Kilicsoy could come in as an upgrade on Joseph, due to his goal return and his overperformance as a finisher, whilst also being a dream partner for Paixao.
However, it is now down to the 49ers to ensure that they win the races for both of these players so that Farke has them as options to pick from when he comes to selecting his team in the Premier League next season.
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