Football League World
·13 September 2024
Football League World
·13 September 2024
The Whites should be looking to target Hamer in January, especially if Max Wober departs.
Leeds United completed some excellent transfer business during the summer, despite missing out on Sheffield United midfielder Gustavo Hamer.
The Whites did cash in on several key players, including Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter, but they have built a squad that's strong enough to compete for promotion again this term.
Jayden Bogle and Isaac Schmidt came in as much-needed right-back additions following several departures in that area, and both could be valuable contributors to the West Yorkshire side's cause throughout the 2024/25 campaign and beyond.
Joe Rodon has returned permanently to strengthen the club's centre-back area and in central midfield, Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka could help to guide the Whites to another finish in the promotion mix.
With a couple of key attackers leaving, Largie Ramazani and Manor Solomon should help to replace some of the firepower that Daniel Farke lost during the summer.
And with all of these players joining, Leeds look to be in a decent position, especially after their decent start to the campaign.
One player the Whites missed out on was the Blades' midfielder Hamer, who was the subject of a £13m bid from Leeds during the summer.
However, Chris Wilder's side took a firm stance on the player, and that's a shame for a Leeds side that could have richly benefitted from the Dutchman's presence.
After losing the likes of Gray and Kamara, and with Marc Roca being sold, the club needed to address their central midfield area during the previous window.
And they were able to do this, with Rothwell joining on loan from AFC Bournemouth and Tanaka securing a permanent move to Elland Road. They were also able to keep hold of Ilia Gruev, despite reported interest from Borussia Dortmund.
But the central midfield department is an area that the Whites still need to keep an eye on for a key reason.
Ethan Ampadu may be available as a midfield option now, but he could be needed in central defence at times, especially if Max Wober goes on to secure a move away from Elland Road this season.
If the Austria international can't win much game time, it seems inevitable that he will leave the club during the January window, if not before then.
And Hamer, who has plenty of experience at this level and is approaching the peak years of his career, could be a shrewd addition.
Aggressive enough to win midfield battles and able to contribute a huge amount in the final third, Hamer would be a valuable player to have at any Championship club, having proved his worth at Coventry City in the past.
He has also impressed at Bramall Lane and has already registered two goals and one assist in four league appearances for Wilder's men this term.
His goal and assist against Queens Park Rangers proved to be crucial in helping United to earn a point against Marti Cifuentes' side and those contributions reinforce just how important he is.
If his early-season contributions are anything to go by, he will be one of the most threatening midfielders in the division this term.
Considering his track record, that is no surprise, and Leeds will be ruing the fact that they missed out on him.
Leeds have lost Rutter and Summerville since the end of last season, along with Jaidon Anthony, so having Hamer as an attacking asset could have been very valuable.
The Whites should look to reignite their interest in the midfielder when the January window opens.
Signing Hamer could help Leeds in two key ways.
Firstly, the midfielder would strengthen the Whites' squad, for the reasons listed above. Farke's side may already be strong, but Hamer could still make a real difference.
If they ended up signing the 27-year-old, they would also weaken a potential promotion rival in the process.
With the Blades signing the likes of Kieffer Moore, Callum O'Hare, Harrison Burrows and Michael Cooper during the summer, as well as current loanees Harry Souttar, Alfie Gilchrist and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, they have a formidable squad.