The summer transfer window officially opens for business later this month and Leeds United are preparing for a second season in the Championship.
They failed to achieve their goal of an instant return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, as they were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley last month.
This means that Daniel Farke and his men must get ready for another assault on the second tier next term, in the hope of greater success than they had this year.
The German head coach could see a lot of change in his playing squad over the course of the transfer window as multiple stars have already been linked with exits.
It has been claimed that winger Wilfried Gnonto is eyeing a transfer to the Serie A, whilst star forward Crysencio Summerville has been linked with Liverpool in the Premier League.
The turnover in the squad will, naturally, mean that Leeds will need to bring in several new signings to refresh and improve the team ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
One young star who has been linked with a move to Elland Road this summer could come in and be developed into Georgino Rutter 2.0 for Farke…
Leeds United's interest in released Premier League whiz
Last month, it was reported by AfricaFoot that Leeds are one of a number of clubs showing an interest in a swoop to sign attacking midfielder Ateef Konate.
The 23-year-old wizard recently confirmed his departure from Premier League side Nottingham Forest on a free transfer and AfricaFoot claimed that it was his decision, as the player wants to explore a new challenge.
It has been stated that Huddersfield, Sunderland, Derby County, Westerlo, and Vitesse Arnhem are also keen on the talented youngster, and look set to provide competition for his services.
Pundit Carlton Palmer suggested to Football League World that Derby would be the best place for Konate due to Paul Warne and his work with young players, alongside a chance to play regular football.
Farke, however, is an excellent manager for young players as proven by his development of stars in the Championship. Max Aarons won the division's Young Player of the Season award for the 2018/19 campaign during his time with Norwich, whilst Archie Gray won it with Leeds under the German boss this term.
This suggests that he could be the perfect boss to extract the best out of Konate if the French whiz, who could emerge as Rutter 2.0 at Elland Road.
Georgino Rutter's season in numbers
The 22-year-old magician showcased his quality and versatility for Leeds throughout the 2023/24 campaign with his excellent performances on the pitch.
Relegation from the Premier League provided the former Hoffenheim man with an opportunity to play regular football at a lower level to hone and develop his skills, which is exactly what he did.
He was able to display his talent in a variety of positions as Farke played him as a second striker on ten occasions, used him as an attacking midfielder in 14 games, and as a striker in 26 matches.
Appearances
45
Goals
6
xA
10.52
Assists
15
Big chances created
22
Key passes per game
1.9
As you can see in the table above, Rutter's combined efforts in those three positions led to him directly contributing to 21 goals in 45 league appearances for the Whites.
He racked up a staggering 10.52 xA and created 22 'big chances' for his teammates, which speaks to his ability to create high-quality opportunities as both a striker and an attacking midfielder.
However, his finishing left a lot to be desired as his six goals came from an eye-catching 12.34 xG, which shows that the French forward was incredibly wasteful with the chances that came his way in and around the box.
Overall, though, it is clear to see that Rutter had a huge impact at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and creator of goals from multiple positions.
Leeds do not have another similar player to replace him when he is unavailable or out of form as Farke does not have another natural attacking midfielder in the squad, with centre-forward Joel Piroe having to fill in at times.
Why Ateef Konate could be Georginio Rutter 2.0
Konate could come in as the dream understudy to Rutter as he could be unearthed as the next version of his compatriot, due to his versatility and skillset.
Firstly, the 23-year-old gem is a versatile forward who has mainly played as an attacking midfielder or as a centre-forward in his career, just like the Leeds star, but he has also been deployed on the left flank and as a second striker.
He did not make a first-team breakthrough with Forest in the Premier League but form for their U21 side in the Premier League 2 suggests that the potential is there for him to make a big impact in the final third.
Journalist Josh Bunting hailed him as an "impressive" wizard who is always moving to "create problems" for opposition defenders, and that is backed up by his superb record at that level.
2021/22
23
7
7
2022/23
10
9
2
2023/24
17
6
2
Total
50
22
11
As you can see in the table above, Konate racked up 33 direct goal contributions in 50 Premier League 2 matches for the Tricky Trees, which illustrates his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
These statistics suggest that the potential is there for the 'impressive' ace to emerge as an exciting attacking option for Farke if he can help the youngster to translate his performances over to the second tier at first-team level.
The Leeds target also showed off his creativity and dribbling skills in the EFL Trophy this season with 2.0 completed dribbles and 1.3 key passes per game across four appearances in the competition, whilst Rutter made 2.8 successful dribbles per match in the Championship for the Whites.
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Overall, Konate could arrive at Elland Road as Rutter 2.0 as he is another versatile French gem who can play as a striker or as a number ten, whilst providing quality as a dribbler, creator, and scorer of goals.