But Leeds really put their window into gear towards the end, and they have a team that looks capable of competing at the top, just like they did a year ago.
Largie Ramazani, who joined from UD Almeria, was the first of four new signings made by Leeds in the last eight days of the summer.
In the penultimate week, Manor Solomon, Ao Tanaka, and Isaac Schmidt all came after him, and with the exception of a number 10, Leeds’ roster appears to be in decent form at this point.
Leeds beat Celtic to Ao Tanaka signing
Considering his background and the obstacles Leeds had to face to acquire him, the signing of Solomon was viewed as the biggest coup of the summer.
The 25-year-old was interested in a loan move from both Getafe and Ajax, but Leeds ultimately prevailed because he wanted to remain in England.
And the Athletic said that this also applied to Tanaka, meaning Leeds had to fend off elite interest in luring him to Elland Road in addition to Solomon.
Tanaka was interested in signing with Celtic, Midtjylland, and Serie A team Como, but he believed Leeds would be the ideal place for him to advance in his career.
Tanaka reportedly had dreams of playing in the Champions League at one point, and if he had signed with Celtic or Midtjylland this season, he could have played in Europe.
Given that Celtic already has two Japanese internationals in their lineup (Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Daizen Maeda), these two facts highlight what a coup it was for Leeds to get Tanaka, who Kieran McKenna called “incredible” back in July.
Tanaka’s debut vs Hull City shows bargain Leeds have found
Even though Tanaka had just recently signed, Farke made sure he played some minutes in the squad for Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Hull City.
He entered the game for the last four minutes plus stoppage time, and he quickly established his dominance.
Tanaka came on because the game was all but won, but it was obvious how important he will be to the team throughout the season.
In the little time he was on the pitch, Tanaka was able to complete 18 passes, according to Opta’s Leeds United statistician Jonny Cooper.
In the 86th minute or later, just two players have completed more when coming off the bench, according to Opta’s Championship data recorded in 2013–14.
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