Leeds United failed to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking after they lost in the final of the play-offs last season.
They finished third in the Championship and beat Norwich City in the semi-finals of the play-offs before losing 1-0 to Southampton in the final at Wembley.
Their failure to return to the top-flight left them vulnerable during the summer transfer window, as clubs across Europe moved to sign their biggest talents.
Archie Gray joined Tottenham Hotspur, Georginio Rutter signed for Brighton & Hove Albion, Crysencio Summerville moved to West Ham United, and Glen Kamara was snapped up by Rennes.
They had all been regular starters for Daniel Farke in the Championship during the 2023/24 campaign, which meant that it was a blow to lose any of them, let alone all four.
The German head coach did then bring in the likes of Largie Ramazani, Manor Solomon, Joe Rodon, Ao Tanaka, Isaac Schmidt, and Joe Rothwell, among others, to bolster his playing squad.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not the Whites have improved their squad with those moves, and Rutter is one player who will be difficult to replace.
How much Leeds sold Georginio Rutter for
Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion swooped in to activate a £40m release clause in the former France U21 international’s contract last month.
That was a club-record deal for the Seagulls, who were willing to splash the cash to snap the centre-forward up from Elland Road after his impressive performances in the Championship last season.
Rutter, after joining Leeds in the Premier League initially, thrived in the second tier under Farke, with his sublime creativity playing a crucial role in the club’s run to the play-off final.
Appearances
45
Goals
6
Assists
15
Big chances created
22
Key passes per game
1.9
Pass accuracy
69%
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed star was directly involved in 21 goals in 45 appearances for Leeds and created 22 ‘big chances’ in total.
This suggests that his teammates let him down at times with their wasteful finishing, as they did not make the most of the high-quality opportunities he created.
In fact, the 22-year-old whiz ranked within the top 2% of forwards in the Championship for assists (0.39) and Expected Assisted Goals (0.29) per 90 respectively last season, which shows that he was one of the most creative players in the league.
Per Transfermarkt, Rutter is the most expensive centre-forward in the club’s history, with only Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha sold for more, but that does not take inflation into account.
If you adjust for the inflation in football over the years, Leeds once cashed in on another impressive number nine for even more than the £40m Brighton splashed on the French attacker.
How much Leeds paid for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
In the summer of 1997, Leeds swooped to sign Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink from Portuguese side Boavista for a reported transfer fee of just £2m.
The 25-year-old marksman had plundered an eye-catching 20 goals in 29 league games for Boavista in the top-flight during the 1996/97 campaign, which convinced the Whites to snap him up.
Hasselbaink did not need any time to adjust and adapt to the Premier League. The Dutch sensation fired in 16 goals in 33 matches, along with one assist, in the division during his first season with the West Yorkshire outfit.
Appearances
36
Goals
18
Assists
13
Minutes played
3,136
As you can see in the table above, the Dutchman took his game to another level in his second year at Elland Road, with a return of 31 direct goal contributions in 36 games.
Hasselbaink produced 34 goals and 14 assists in two Premier League campaigns with Leeds, which proved that he had the quality to be a regular provider of goals and assists in a major European league.
Rutter, meanwhile, only managed six goals and 15 assists in the Championship for the Whites and earned himself a staggering £40m transfer to Brighton.
The Dutch attacker, however, did not go for anywhere near as much as that in actual money after his transfer request and subsequent departure in 1999, but the value of the deal was worth more than £40m if you adjust for inflation.
How much Leeds sold Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink for
Atletico Madrid reportedly paid a fee of £15m to sign the prolific marksman from Leeds ahead of the 1999/00 season, after he had spent two years in Yorkshire.
That meant that they made a huge profit on the £2m that they had paid to sign him from Boavista in 1997, but the fee would have been even greater in the modern age.
Per Totally Money’s algorithm, the £15m that Atletico Madrid paid for Hasselbaink in 1999 would be worth a staggering £51.7m in today’s money, which is over £11m more than Brighton spent on Rutter this summer.
This shows that Leeds hit the jackpot when they signed him for £2m because they ended up selling him for a fee that has ended up being the most valuable fee they have ever received for a centre-forward in the club’s history, if you adjust for inflation.
The Whites also struck gold with Hasselbaink because they got two incredible seasons of service out of him in the Premier League and enjoyed his terrific goalscoring exploits before they cashed in on him for a significant fee.
Whereas, Leeds moved on Rutter for a gigantic fee this summer after a season of service in the Championship, rather than in the top-flight.
Hasselbaink scored 35 goals in 47 matches for Atletico Madrid before joining Chelsea for £20m in 2000, which would work out at around £51.6m in today’s money, and he went on to score 87 goals in 177 matches for the Blues.
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This shows that, financially, Leeds did not miss out with the Netherlands international, as – adjusting for inflation – the Spanish side did not make a significant profit on him.