The summer transfer window officially slammed shut on Friday night and it was an eventful few months for Leeds United, for incomings and outgoings.
Daniel Farke led the side to a third-place finish in the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign but his team could not get over the line in the play-offs, as they lost to Southampton in the final at Wembley.
Their failure to secure promotion back to the Premier League led to a number of key first-team performers moving on from Elland Road, including Georginio Rutter, Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, and Crysencio Summerville.
The Whites also moved to bolster their squad with the additions of Manor Solomon, Largie Ramazani, Ao Tanaka, Isaac Schmidt, Joe Rodon, Alex Cairns, Joe Rothwell, and Jayden Bogle.
Leeds endured a difficult start to the season with all the uncertainty surrounding their squad, as they failed to win their first three games in all competitions.
However, they have won their last two matches, against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City, and things do appear to be on the way up for Farke's men.
The Whites beat the Tigers 2-0 on Saturday and there was a late debut for Tanaka, who was signed on deadline day, after his move to the club.
How much Leeds paid for Tanaka
According to The Athletic, the West Yorkshire outfit splashed out a fee of €3.5m (£2.9m) to sign the Japan international from Fortuna Dusseldorf.
His team failed to earn promotion from the second division in Germany in similar fashion to Leeds, as they were beaten in their play-off clash with the 14th worst team in the Bundesliga.
During Fortuna's push to get out of the second tier, the Japanese midfield maestro caught the eye with his excellent work in possession in the middle of the park.
In the 2023/24 campaign, Tanaka ranked within the top 14% of midfielders in the 2. Bundesliga for progressive passes (5.66) per 90, which shows that he was one of the best players in his position when it came to progressing the ball up the pitch.
The 25-year-old was a key performer for Fortuna with his quality on the ball, in the build-up play with his progressive passes and in the final third.
Appearances
30
Goals
7
Assists
3
Big chances created
6
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.0
As you can see in the table above, Tanaka pushed forward from midfield to make an impact at the top end of the pitch with great effect, scoring seven goals and providing three assists.
He hit double figures for goal contributions from a central midfield position and Farke may now be hoping that he can do the same for Leeds in the Championship this term.
However, the Whites may have already had a player who could have made an even greater impact from midfield if they had kept hold of Mateusz Bogusz, whose value has soared since his exit from Elland Road.
How much Leeds sold Mateusz Bogusz for
Leeds signed the teenage midfielder from Ruch Chorzow at the start of 2019, midway through the club's first season under Marcelo Bielsa, and added him to their academy squad.
He went on to make one appearance in the Championship as the Whites marched on to win the title the following campaign, along with one outing in the EFL Cup.
Bielsa did not deem him ready to feature in the Premier League for the club, however, and the central midfielder was sent out on loan to UD Logrones, where he produced one goal and one assist in 23 matches in LaLiga 2.
Bogusz was then sent out on loan to UD Ibiza in Spain for a season-and-a-half and racked up six goals and seven assists in 46 appearances for the second tier outfit.
However, his attacking contributions from a midfield position for UD Ibiza did not convince Javi Gracia, who had succeeded Bielsa and Jesse Marsch by that point, that he was ready for a chance at Elland Road in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.
The Whites boss decided to cash in on the young dynamo and MLS outfit Los Angeles FC swooped in to sign him for a reported fee of €1m (£840k) in March 2023, which has turned out to be a big blunder by the club.
Mateusz Bogusz's soaring market value
During the recently closed summer transfer window, Scottish giants Celtic were pursuing a deal to sign the central midfielder from LAFC to bolster their squad.
They were eventually unsuccessful in their efforts to snap him up from the American side, signing Augsburg's Arne Engels instead, but the price that they were quoted for him suggests that Leeds made a big error when they sold him last year.
It was reported that the MLS side valued the Polish wizard at a whopping £8m, which is more than a £7m increase on the £840k that the Whites raked in for his services 18 months ago.
The 23-year-old midfielder's form in the MLS this year illustrates why his club values him so highly, as the talented youngster, who was described as "dangerous" by reporter Greg Beacham, has enjoyed a terrific year.
During his time in the States, Bogusz has racked up an eye-catching 21 goals and 15 assists in 78 appearances for LAFC in all competitions to date.
Appearances
25
30
Goals
13
7
Assists
5
3
Big chances created
8
6
Key passes per game
2.2
0.5
As you can see in the table above, Bogusz has produced 18 direct goal contributions in 25 MLS appearances in 2024, compared to Tanaka's ten goal involvements in 30 2. Bundesliga games in the 2023/24 campaign.
These statistics suggest that, if he could translate his form over to the Championship, keeping Bogusz may have been a better option than having to swoop for Tanaka this summer.
This is all with the benefit of hindsight but the Polish star has been in sublime form on the pitch and his soaring market value, currently standing at £8m, suggests that Leeds blundered badly on him by cashing in for just £840k last year.
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