Leeds new signings: Confirmed ins and outs for summer 2023

Who are the Leeds new signings during the Summer 2023 transfer window? If you are looking for the answer to that question, we have you covered.

After three seasons in the Premier League, Leeds United are back in the Championship for the 2023/24 campaign. It’s a division they know well having spent a whole decade in England’s second tier between 2010 and 2020, but the clear objective will be to make an immediate return to the top flight.

They have a manager who knows this league well and more importantly knows how to get out of it, having twice won promotion as champions with Norwich City. Daniel Farke will be hoping for a number of new arrivals before the transfer window shuts as he aims to construct a squad capable of challenging at the very top of the division.

Here are all the confirmed Leeds United ins and outs so far as the club gets set for the 2023/24 Championship season.

Leeds new signings: Summer 2023 arrivals

Ethan Ampadu (Chelsea)

Leeds have been relatively slow to start the process of putting together a potentially promotion-winning squad with more departures than arrivals so far, but they have pulled off one major signing with Ethan Ampadu joining from Chelsea for a fee believed to be in the region of £7m.

The Welsh centre-back is only 22 years old but he has already built a fair bit of experience, playing in three different countries while he has featured prominently for his national team, starting every game at the 2022 World Cup.

Ampadu has spent the last two seasons on loan in Serie A with Venezia and Spezia respectively. He featured prominently for both clubs, starting 32 games in the Italian top flight last term. While not doing enough to forge his way into the first-team picture at Stamford Bridge, Ampadu still feels like a real coup for a Championship club and is likely to be a pivotal figure at Elland Road this term.

Karl Darlow (Newcastle)

Karl Darlow became one of the Leeds new signings a few weeks back. Darlow has joined Leeds on a three-year deal, which will keep him in West Yorkshire until 2026. At 32 years of age, Darlow is one of the older guys that has joined Leeds this summer. And because of that, I feel that Leeds has secured this man to bring some much-needed experience and consistency to the club. Not only that but since Karl Darlow has been at Newcastle for a grand total of nine years, he is a guy that has experience with top-flight football in England. 

Naturally, this is what Leeds United is now pursuing this season, although given that they’ve conceded in every game so far in 23/24, they need a guy like Darlow to stop the rot. Furthermore, since he hasn’t been the preferred goalkeeper since joining (yet), I believe that the lack of clean sheets could see him taking a critical first-team role before too long. 

Then again, this depends on how things go over the next few games, and it also comes down to Farke’s intentions/plans with Karl Darlow between the sticks.

Joel Piroe (Swansea)

Swansea City’s fan-favorite Joel Piroe is the latest player to boost Leeds United on a permanent deal. For the Swans, Joel Piroe made a total of 91 appearances in the Championship. During his three-season-long spell at Swansea.com Stadium, Joel Piroe produced 41 goals for the club and eight assists.

Currently, Joel Piroe’s market value is set at €10m. However, Leeds United were so eager to have him on their side during the tiresome 2023/24 Championship campaign that they provided Swansea City with a can’t-miss €14m deal for their star player. The forward completed his medical for the Whites on the 22^nd of August and put pen on paper on a four-year deal. Judging by the considerable €14m pay, we believe Joel Piroe will play a key role in helping Leeds United climb back to the top of English football sooner rather than later.

Ilia Gruev (Werder Bremen)

23-year-old Ilia Gruev caught the eye of 46-year-old manager Daniel Farke. With twice as much experience under his belt, the German manager can definitely teach Ilia a thing or two about football during the Bulgarian’s four-year spell at Elland Road. The fee is undisclosed but rumors have it that the German team has received a €6.50m pay for Ilia’s services.

A key Bulgarian international, Ilie Gruev is a defensive midfielder that can definitely boost Farke’s chance to bring Premier League football back to Elland Road. Ilia Gruev played his first official game for Werder Bremen back in 2020. Three years later, Gruev has enough experience to make an instant impact for Leeds United in their Championship struggle.

Glen Kamara (Glasgow Rangers)

Leeds United and Glasgow Rangers sealed the deal for 27-year-old Glen Kamara back in August. The central midfielder will play for the Whites until 2027. His four-year deal with Leeds United is the result of the Whites paying Glasgow Rangers a staggering €5.80m for his services.

Glen Kamara was a vital player for the Scottish Premiership side during the last five campaigns. Since the 2018/19 season, the Finnish international made a total of 118 appearances for Glasgow Rangers, during which he scored six goals and provided teammates with six assists.

Leeds United’s transfer departures

Tyler Adams (Bournemouth)

Tyler Adams needs to be at the very top of the list when it comes to Leeds transfer departures. Adams is the most significant sale that Leeds has made this summer, and he went to Bournemouth for a fee that is reportedly in excess of £20 million. This deal was done with less than two weeks remaining of the summer transfer period. And with such a deal being done, there are now speculations that the Leeds transfer targets list has now become rather exciting. Of course, this sale has added a nice injection of cash into Leeds United’s transfer budget. 

Furthermore, with the problems they are facing with current players at the club, they could now make use of this cash injection to resolve a few issues. With that said, the fact that Adams has become one of several Leeds transfer departures is still somewhat of a surprise. After all, he only came to Leeds last year on a five-year deal. 

But with Leeds being related to the Championship, there was always a chance that a player of this quality would be looking for a change.

Rodrigo (Al-Rayyan SC)

Relegation invariably means departures and Leeds have spent much of the summer so far trying to get higher earners off the wage bill. They’ve been unable to generate a huge amount of funds via transfer fees but have received around £3m from Qatari side Al-Rayyan SC for the services of Rodrigo Moreno. The Spanish forward was comfortably Leeds’ top scorer in the 2022/23 Premier League with 13 goals.

Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt – Loan)

Centre-back Robin Koch clocked up more minutes than any other Leeds player in the Premier League last term, starting all but two of their league games. After three years at Elland Road, Koch will be back in his native Germany next season for a loan spell with Eintracht Frankfurt. His Leeds deal is due to expire next summer so Koch may well have played his last game for the club.

Maximilian Wober (Borussia Monchengladbach)

It might seem crazy for Leeds United to be loaning out defenders at the moment, especially with the goals they are conceding right now. However, they’ve chosen to loan Maximilian Wober out to Borussia Monchengladbach for the entire season, which of course, frees up the wages that Leeds was paying for this player. Once again, this is a move that Leeds fans probably weren’t anticipating with how recently Wober joined the club. 

As a reminder, Leeds United signed this man in January 2023. Yet with less than one season under his belt, Wober has now been loaned out to the Bundesliga club. Additionally, when this loan deal expires at the end of the 23/24 season, there is a chance that Wober could be bought by Borussia Monchengladbach.

Tyler Roberts (Birmingham)

Welsh forward Tyler Roberts made 23 appearances for Leeds in the 2021/22 Premier League but he was loaned out to Championship side QPR last term. He’ll be in the English second tier again this season, although not with Leeds who have decided to allow the player to leave on a permanent deal to join Birmingham City.

Joel Robles (Al-Qadsiah FC)

The appointment of Sam Allardyce saw Joel Robles installed as Leeds’ first choice goalkeeper in the final weeks of the 2022/23 Premier League season as the Yorkshire club ultimately failed to beat the drop. The 4-1 home defeat to Tottenham on the final day which condemned the club to relegation would prove the final act in Leeds colours for Robles though with the Spanish keeper moving to Saudi side Al-Qadsiah on a free transfer.

Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin – Loan)

Promising USA international Brenden Aaronson was a marquee signing for Leeds last summer but the 22-year-old didn’t have as big an impact as many hoped when he moved to Elland Road for a fee in the region of £25m. The midfielder departs on loan just one year into a five year deal. Aaronson will get an opportunity to showcase his talents in the Champions League next season in the German capital with Union Berlin.

Rasmus Kristensen (Roma – Loan)

It’s a similar situation with Rasmus Kristensen who joined Leeds only last summer from RB Salzburg but has been quickly loaned out following relegation. The right back will also be playing European football with Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the Europa League once more having reached last season’s Final.

Marc Roca (Real Betis – Loan)

Another regular first-team player last season for Leeds was midfielder Marc Roca and the 26-year-old is another to depart on loan. Real Betis is the destination for the Spaniard who started 29 times in the Premier League last term. The Seville club have the option to extend the loan for a further year if all goes well.

Adam Forshaw (Released)

Midfielder Adam Forshaw is also departing after six seasons at Elland Road. He was part of the Leeds side that won promotion from the Championship in 2020 but has struggled with injuries throughout much of his time at the club. The 31-year-old made just five starts in last season’s Premier League and will be available as a free agent this summer.