This summer looks like being a huge one for Leeds United.
With promotion back to the Premier League secured, Marcelo Bielsa’s side will be doing everything within their power to make sure they stay in the top flight for a prolonged spell.
While the players who took the Whites up to the Premier League are not without their talent, it would be a surprise if there were no reinforcements whatsoever.
Whether Leeds look abroad for their new recruits or stay closer to home, however, is less set in stone.
We’ve put together a dream wishlist encompassing both types of player which, if successful, would leave the club in very good health going into the 2020/21 campaign.
Ben White
No surprises here. We begin with White on the grounds that he’s a known quantity who is already clearly popular at Elland Road, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a Leeds fan who’d be actively opposed to seeing him back at the club next season.
The centre-back played every single minute of the title-winning campaign, showing real quality alongside regular partner Liam Cooper, and was named Young Player of the Year at the Whites' end-of-season awards.
“The club are doing everything they can to keep him for next season,” former Leeds boss Eddie Gray said, and plenty of fans would be delighted to see him stick around, either on a permanent basis or on another year’s loan from parent club Brighton & Hove Albion.
Leeds will certainly need to add at least one centre-back to their ranks, if not two, and if White is available then there’s every argument to put him at the top of the list.
Said Benrahma
While Premier League experience can be a big bonus, the last few years have shown plenty of examples of Championship stars having no trouble adapting to the step up.
Jarrod Bowen played a big part in West Ham United's battle against relegation while Todd Cantwell thrived despite Norwich City's failure to avoid the drop.
Benrahma is tipped to be one of the next crop to test himself against the league’s best, whether with Brentford if they win the play-off final or elsewhere if Thomas Frank’s side fail to win at Wembley.
The Algerian’s influence has been unavoidable this season, with WhoScored putting him in the Championship’s top 10 for goals, assists, key passes and dribbles, and plenty of the goals have been on the spectacular side.
Ollie Watkins
Benrahma might not be the only member of Brentford’s ‘BMW’ frontline on Leeds’ shopping list if the Bees fall short against Fulham.
It’s no secret that the Whites will want to invest in a goalscorer or two after a season in which only one player hit double figures, so Watkins - who struck 25 times in the regular season and one more in the play-off semi-finals - could be the answer.
The former Exeter City man is comfortable on the wing as well as playing as a central striker, and this malleability could add to his value.
Not that plan A wouldn’t be to use him through the middle, of course, and having watched him in the league this season it’s easy to see how the arrival of Watkins could be a real boon for Bielsa’s side.
Indeed, if reports are to be believed, there are already signs that Leeds see a place for the Englishman within the set-up.
For anyone who has watched Watkins, Benrahma and Bryan Mbeumo tearing up the Championship this might not come as a huge surprise, even if the Whites will likely be considering a few more attacking options.
Florentino Luis
With reports in Portugal linking Luis to Leeds, it seems as though promotion will - unsurprisingly - see the Whites linked with a higher calibre of player than if they had stuck around in the second tier.
The defensive midfielder broke into Benfica’s first-team as a teenager, playing 11 games in their 2018/19 title campaign and adding another 10 Primeira Liga games as they finished second this time around.
While he doesn’t have English top-flight minutes under his belt, the prospect of signing a 20-year-old with Champions League experience is an enticing one for sure.
With Jorge Jesus due to return as Benfica manager, it may be that the experienced coach sees Florentino as too big an asset to let him leave.
However, with Leeds reported to be considering a loan move with a view to buying him permanently, if not an immediate permanent move, there’s no harm in dreaming big.
