4 Leeds United players we are surprised didn't leave last month | OneFootball

The transfer window has slammed shut, leaving Championship clubs to compete with what they have until January, including Leeds United.

It may have come as a relief to Daniel Farke and Leeds, who have been among the busier sides in the division in the market. Naturally, relegation will see a host of changes to the playing squad.

Rodrigo, Tyler Roberts, Alfie McCalmont, Joel Robles, Adam Forshaw and Tyler Adams have exited the club on a permanent basis.

There have also been 11 loan exits from the club, too: Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Diego Llorente, Robin Koch, Marc Roca, Max Wober, Jack Harrison, Sonny Perkins, Sam Greenwood, Cody Drameh, and Luis Sinisterra have all completed temporary departures for the 2023/24 season.

Leeds have needed players to offset those losses, and started the window well in the form of Chelsea's Ethan Ampadu, Karl Darlow from Newcastle United, the re-signing of Sam Byram on a free transfer following his release from Norwich City, and Joe Rodon has also come in from Tottenham Hotspur.

The last week of the window saw a late flurry, though. The Whites added Joel Piroe from Swansea City, Ilia Gruev from Werder Bremen, Glen Kamara completed a transfer from Rangers, whilst the loan signings of Djed Spence and Jaidon Anthony arrived to finalise Leeds' summer business.

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However, some surprise players remained. Here, we take a look at four that we expected to leave the club during the last month.

Illan Meslier

Meslier was expected to depart Leeds and is a player they can turn a profit on, having spent around £5 million on the Frenchman during the summer of 2020.

The 23-year-old has been Leeds' number-one for the last few years, but Leeds signed Karl Darlow, and many expected the former Newcastle United stopper to be the new first-choice for their first season back in the Championship in three years.

Meslier is an easy player to help balance the books against profit and sustainability rules, too, which provided an extra incentive for the club to sell him during the window. However, he has started every league game so far and is set to stay until at least January.

Junior Firpo

Leeds "decided to listen to enquiries for Junior Firpo" this summer, and were set to sign a new left-back, according to Phil Hay of The Athletic.

The 27-year-old left-back has had two seasons with Leeds, although it’s fair to say that he hasn’t always been convincing, whilst injuries have restricted the impact he could make on the team as well.

It hasn't been a successful signing, and the former Barcelona defender is likely to be on a hefty wage at Elland Road, meaning a parting of ways was perhaps not only desired, but necessary for the club. However, no left-back arrived, and Firpo remained, to the surprise of many.

Helder Costa

Costa is into the final year of his deal at Elland Road and has just spent the last campaign out on loan with Al-Ittihad.

The 29-year-old Angolan international has spent the last two seasons with temporary switches away from Leeds, and it was thought he would look to do so again this season, as it is unlikely he will be afforded many opportunities.

It remains a possibility. However, he was expected to depart and will be taking up a considerable wage in the meantime.

Willy Gnonto

Gnonto's transfer saga was a long, drawn out series of events, and it looked for all the world that he would be a departure before the deadline. The Italian has remained, though, and his fellow left-winger Luis Sinisterra has instead got a move to the Premier League.

Sky Sportsrevealed that Everton made four offers for Gnonto, which began at around £15 million but slowly rose to a figure closer to £25 million inclusive of add-ons. However, all of them were knocked back by Leeds.

The 19-year-old then handed in a transfer request in the hopes of forcing a move to the Toffees, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic. However, Phil Hay has since revealed that Gnonto has held positive talks with Daniel Farke and the club's hierarchy, and is now back in training with the senior squad, putting an end to the transfer saga.