Leeds United boss Daniel Farke was backed by the board throughout the summer transfer window as he was allowed to bring in a host of new signings.
Ilia Gruev, Djed Spence, Jaidon Anthony, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, Sam Byram, Glen Kamara, Karl Darlow, and Joel Piroe all came through the door to bolster the squad.
The Whites also reported raked in around £30m from transfer fees on players moving away from Elland Road ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear recently confirmed that funds will be “available” to Farke should he need them during the January window and pointed to the club’s two available loan spots as a possible avenue that they will look to explore if needed.
Statistic (Championship 2023/24) | Rodon | Anthony | Spence |
|---|---|---|---|
Appearances | Eight | Six | One |
Sofascore rating | 7.09 | 6.70 | 7.00 |
Goals + assists | Zero | One | Zero |
Duel success rate | 65% | 34% | 83% |
Leeds’ loanees this season (via Sofascore) | |||
It has also been claimed that the German head coach had a ‘hands-on’ role in the recruitment over the summer, which included him playing an instrumental role in signing Byram on a free transfer.
With this information in mind, Leeds could dip into the market in January to sign another one of Farke’s former favourites by reigniting a swoop for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp, who could come in as an instant upgrade on Kamara.
Were Leeds interested in Oliver Skipp?
The Express reported in the summer that the Whites boss was considering a swoop to sign the former England U21 international to bolster his midfield options.
However, it was not clear as to whether the Yorkshire-based outfit were willing to snap him up on a loan or permanent transfer at the time.
Regardless, a deal did not materialise and Skipp remained with the Premier League club, where he has been struggling for game time so far this season.
The 23-year-old dynamo has only started one top-flight match since Ange Postecoglou took the job in the summer and his lack of minutes on the pitch could open up the door for Leeds to revive their interest in him in January.
This is after he started 18 Premier League games for Spurs last term and 14 throughout the 2021/22 campaign after his loan spell in East Anglia.
Whilst it may still take some convincing to tempt the player to drop back down to the Championship, the prospect of playing week-in-week-out under a manager who knows how to get the best out of him, from their time together at Norwich, could be an attractive proposition.
Tottenham have already allowed Spence and Rodon to join Leeds on loan and this suggests that the London-based side trust Farke with their young talents and could, therefore, be open to sending Skipp to Elland Road if they decide that a loan is the best move for him.
How many appearances did Skipp make for Norwich?
The English ace spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan with Norwich in the Championship and he made 47 appearances in all competitions, including 45 in the league.
He started 44 of their 46 second tier clashes as the Canaries won the title and earned a promotion back to the Premier League, which is where Leeds should be aiming to go at the end of this season.
Skipp proved himself to be a defensive force in the middle of the park whilst also being reliable and progressive in possession to help his team to dominate matches on a regular basis.
The Spurs academy graduate caught the eye with 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game for his side to go along with a ground duel success rate of 62%.
As per FBRef, Skipp ranked within the top 19% of his positional peers for tackles per 90 in the Championship that season. He also placed in the top 1% for his pass completion rate (87.6%)and the top 29% for both progressive passes and progressive carries per 90 respectively.
These statistics show that the £40k-per-week gem was an above-average performer at that level for Norwich as both a ball-winner and a player who could retain possession at an impressive rate whilst still providing value with the quality and progression of his passes.
His exceptional performances earned him a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year for the 2020/21 campaign, alongside current Premier League gems Michael Olise and Emiliano Buendia.
During that season, Farke described Skipp as a “perfect lad” who delivered “unbelievable” consistency over the course of the season, which earned him a comparison to Max Aarons in that respect.
How has Glen Kamara performed for Leeds?
The Finland international has had a quiet start to life at Elland Road since his move from Rangers during the summer transfer window.
He has played five Championship matches, including three starts, so far and averaged 1.4 tackles and interceptions per game along with a ground duel success rate of 50%, as per Sofascore.
This comes after the ex-Arsenal prospect made 22 Premiership appearances during the 2022/23 campaign for the Scottish giants and contributed with one tackle and interception combined per match, along with winning 54% of his battles on the deck.
Kamara, who has one goal and two assists in the league since the start of last season, has not offered regular protection for the back four or made a big impact at the top end of the pitch with goals and assists over the last 15 months or so.
Therefore, there could be an opening for Skipp to come in as a significant upgrade on the 27-year-old midfielder, based on his far superior defensive contributions and history at this level, unless Kamara’s form drastically improves between now and the opening of the January transfer window.
The former Leeds target is a proven Championship performer who excelled under Farke at Norwich and was voted as one of the best midfielders in the division during his time at Carrow Road.
This means that the Whites would be signing a player who has the quality to hit the ground running and give their promotion hopes a real boost heading into the second half of the campaign, which is why they should revive their interest in him.
