There were plenty of reasons for Leeds United supporters to be frustrated over the summer as their side faced relegation back down to the Championship.
The club’s three-year stint at the top level of English football came to an end as they finished the 2022/23 Premier League in the bottom three under Sam Allardyce.
However, the drop to the second tier has provided a chance for the Whites to build again and get the fans onside with a successful, hopefully promotion-winning, season this term.
Leeds United – 2023/24 Championship statistics, via FBref | |
|---|---|
Stat | Rank |
xG for | 8th |
xG against | 5th |
xGD | 4th |
Position | 9th |
They have brought in a proven coach at this level in Daniel Farke, who won two Championship titles with Norwich City, and a number of players were provided with a fresh slate to prove themselves in a Leeds shirt.
One player who has already benefited from a chance to flourish at a lower level is January signing Georgino Rutter, who has now established himself as a star for the club after a poor start to his career at Elland Road.
How much did Leeds pay for Rutter?
Former sporting director Victor Orta reportedly splashed out a mega £35.5m to sign the French forward from Hoffenheim at the start of the year, which was a club-record fee for the Whites.
The young attacker started his career in his home country with Rennes and scored once in five first-team appearances for them before his move to Germany in February 2021.
He went on to rack up 11 goals and eight assists in 64 outings in all competitions for Hoffenheim during his two years with the Bundesliga outfit.
Rutter produced an impressive eight goals and two assists in 13 Bundesliga starts throughout the 2021/22 campaign but failed to carry that form over into the following season.
The young ace scored two goals and provided two assists in 11 top-flight starts for Hoffenheim in the first-half of the 2022/23 term before his move to Leeds in January.
He missed five ‘big chances’ and only created 0.7 key passes per game in that time as the former Rennes attacker failed to produce regular quality at the top end of the pitch as a scorer or creator of goals for his side.
Despite his dip in form and concerning performances at the backend of 2021, Orta and Leeds were still prepared to spend a club-record fee of £35.5m to secure his services.
Hoffenheim director of football Alexander Rosen claimed that the talented youngster was capable of “spectacular” moments and described his exit from the German club as “premature”.
What was said about Rutter’s Premier League form?
It certainly turned out to be premature in terms of his suitability for Premier League football as Rutter failed to make a big impact on the pitch to help Leeds avoid relegation to the Championship.
The 21-year-old was unable to hit the ground running in England after his big-money move to Yorkshire and faced criticism for his performances.
Former Whites defender Jon Newsome told BBC Radio Leeds that Rutter was “naive” and looked “lost” back in March. He also stated that the French attacker had a “rude awakening” as his tricks and flicks in the middle of the park led to turnovers for the opposition to exploit.
Newsome went on to say that the club should expect someone to hit the ground running if they are brought in for the money that was paid for the ex-Hoffenheim man, but that was not the case.
Rutter averaged a dismal Sofascore rating of 6.53 across 11 Premier League appearances, which included one start, in his first five months in England.
The French prospect contributed with zero goals and one assist in those matches and created 0.4 chances per game for the Whites, to go along with a dreadful pass completion rate of 52%, as per Sofascore.
He was the only outfield player for Leeds with less than a 62.4% pass accuracy in the Premier League last term, which illustrates how much the January signing struggled to cope with the quality and intensity of the division. Such a dismal spell of form even saw him paired alongside Jean-Kevin Augustin as a candidate for one the club’s worst-ever signings in recent money, by one FFC writer.
How many goals has Rutter scored this season?
However, the Championship provided Rutter with a clean slate and an opportunity to finally showcase the best of his abilities to the Leeds supporters, and management.
Farke has placed his faith in the talented youngster and has been rewarded with a string of excellent performances on the pitch, as the 21-year-old dynamo has scored two goals in eight Championship outings so far.
The £71k-per-week ace has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.17, which is considerably better than his Premier League score, and that places him seventh within the squad.
His outstanding creativity has been on full display with six ‘big chances’ created and 2.1 key passes per game for his teammates, which has led to two assists, as per Sofascore.
Only Dan James and Crysencio Summerville (2.3) have produced more key passes per match for the Whites, whilst none of his fellow attackers have created as many big chances as the £35.5m gem.
In fact, the former Bundesliga forward ranks within the top 3% of his positional Championship peers this season for Expected Assisted Goals (0.36) and shot-creating actions (3.73) per 90.
Rutter has also showcased his dribbling ability with 2.3 successful take-ons per game, which only Wilfried Gnonto (2.6) has outperformed out of the current squad.
He ranks within the top 3% of his peers for successful take-ons per 90 this term and these statistics suggest that the exciting hotshot has been one of the best in the division at making things happen in possession at the top end of the pitch.
What is being said about Rutter now?
Farke recently hailed the centre-forward, who drops deep into an attacking midfield position to collect the ball, for his “top-class” showings on the pitch after the 3-0 win over Watford last month.
This praise from the German head coach is backed up by Rutter’s exceptional statistics so far this season as the attacker is making a consistent impact in the final third with goals, assists, dribbles, and chances created.
The club-record signing was rightfully criticised for his lack of production on the pitch in the Premier League last term but he has been able to use the drop down to the Championship as his opportunity to become a star operator for Farke, and long may it continue.
