Leeds United have had a busy summer transfer window so far as Jesse Marsch moulds the squad for his first full season in charge of the Premier League outfit. There have been plenty of high-profile ins and outs at the club, with more expected in time for the start of the season.
The August fixtures are essential for managers to understand how their respective squads shape up against the rest of the league and where they still need improvements before the transfer window shuts on September 1. With that in mind, we have looked at Leeds’ five August opponents to see how they have faired in the market so far and who is expected to come in at each club before facing Leeds.
Wolves
Wolves have made a slow start to the summer window. They are yet to make a new signing, despite having a pretty dismal end to last season, winning just one of their last nine games, which suggested that their squad needed bulking out to be capable of competing for the entire campaign.
One of the main areas they are reportedly looking to target is the centre-forward position after Raul Jimenez top-scored for the side with just six goals last campaign. The Mexican has struggled to re-capture the form he was in before fracturing his skull and is turning 32 next season.
Wolves pinned a lot of hope on teenage forward Fabio Silva, but he failed to score in 25 appearances last season and is set to join Anderlecht on loan, which has Bruno Lage frantically searching for a new striker. The West Midlands are reportedly pursuing a deal for Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos to add to their forward options. The 21-year-old striker made 12 goal contributions last season for Benfica and netted eight times in 46 appearances across all competitions.
Wolves are also having to fend off interest for their star midfielder Ruben Neves, with Manchester United placing him on a backup list if their pursuit of Frenkie De Jong falls through. Vitoria Guimaraes midfielder Andre Almeida has been identified as a potential replacement for the Old Gold should Neves depart, according to the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Notícias .
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Southampton
The Saints have had a slightly more productive window than Leeds’ first Premier League opponents next season. The South Coast club have brought in five new players so far in a couple of different positions. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia have joined from Manchester City. Bazunu arrives as Ireland’s number one ‘keeper after a highly-productive loan spell with Portsmouth, which saw him earn the club’s player of the season award.
Lavia featured heavily for the City U23s side that won the Premier League 2 title last season and has been capped at U21 level for Belgium. Ralph Hassenhuttl has also added German centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap, Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo and Polish goalkeeper Mateusz Lis to his ranks so far this window.
Next up for Southampton on their transfer checklist is a new striker, with The Sun reporting that former Fulham and Celtic forward Moussa Dembele on their list of targets at a cut price of £10m. Hampshire Live reported that The Saints are also after Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill to bolster their options in that area further. Colwill helped Huddersfield reach the Championship play-off finals on loan there last season.
Chelsea
The West London giants have yet to confirm a new signing officially but are closing in on a couple of big deals. They have been strongly linked with Leeds talisman Raphinha for most of the summer, but the Brazilian looks set to move to Barcelona.
While that deal may not come through for the Blues, they are closing on deals for Man City duo Raheem Sterling and Nathan Ake. A fee of £47.5million has been agreed for the former, who has completed his medical with the latter reportedly agreeing to personal terms with his former club, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano .
Chelsea have also been strongly linked with a shocking swoop for Cristiano Ronaldo as they search for a short-term replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who returned to Inter on loan. The 37-year-old Portuguese star has asked to leave Manchester United in pursuit of Champions League football. The Athletic has reported that new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has held extensive talks with Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes.
Brighton
The Seagulls' transfer window has mainly been dominated by rumours linking full-back Marc Cucurella with a move away from the club, with Premier League champions Man City looking to make the Spaniard their fifth signing of the window. They also lost star midfielder Yves Bissouma to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee that could rise to £35million with add-ons, owner and chairman Tony Bloom admitting that the Mali international will be a “big loss” .
In terms of incomings, only forward Julio Enciso has been brought in to add to Brighton’s squad next season, with other arrival Simon Adingra being loaned straight out to the Belgian top flight. The Brighton hierarchy have remained tight-lipped on potential incomings and seem to be content with the squad they currently have, with very few rumours circulating about players coming into the club.
Everton
Like Brighton, the biggest transfer news involving Everton this window has been about outgoings rather than players coming the other way, as they look to operate more shrewdly in the market after years of overspending on transfers. Brazilian starlet Richarlison departed the club for Tottenham in one of the biggest Premier League moves of the window so far. Spurs paid £60m to secure the services of the 25-year-old, who scored 53 goals in 152 appearances for the Toffees.
Frank Lampard’s only move of the summer so far has been to bring in experienced centre-back James Tarkowski on a free transfer after his contract expired with Burnley. The Telegraph reported that Everton had a £20m bid rejected for Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, with John Percy stating that Wanderers are looking for a sum closer to £30m.
In terms of Richarlison replacements, the Merseyside club have been linked with a move for Memphis Depay, with Barcelona willing to let him go with Raphinha coming in. According to a report from Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, the Toffees' interest in the 80-cap Dutch international stems as far back as April as Lampard looked to make some additions to his squad. Depay scored 12 goals in 27 La Liga games last term.
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