Jon Rowe features: 5 EFL stars who must be on Leeds United's transfer shortlist | OneFootball

FLW outline five EFL players Leeds United could target in the summer transfer window.

Highlights

Leeds United and Daniel Farke have now entered the process of rebuilding the side, with the Whites expected to be a strong side again in the 2024/25 Championship season.

There is plenty of work to do between now and the beginning of the campaign, but if Leeds can keep the core of the team together, then optimism will be rife for another season of battling for automatic promotion.

However, signings are not only necessary, but guaranteed. Leeds could look to within the EFL, and indeed from rival clubs, for potential transfer targets this summer. Here, we take a look at some of the best talents who could make a huge difference at Elland Road.

Callum O'Hare

Callum O'Hare has been released by Coventry City but appears to be a player now back to his best following a lengthy ACL injury last year. With Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer departing earlier this year, O'Hare became undoubtedly one of the biggest fan favourites left at the club.

He is a player easily capable of thriving in transition with his carrying ability and combining well with his fellow attackers, and the 26-year-old could be a welcome addition, especially when factoring in his contractual situation with the Sky Blues.

With his contract expiring this summer, clubs will be eyeing a potential bargain.

Leeds could, and perhaps should, be among those. O'Hare could be necessary if the Whites lose the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto this summer after the club failed to bounce back up at the first time of asking, whilst they could offer O'Hare a better contract than Coventry and most other second tier sides.

O'Hare's profile would be a good alternative option to other more expensive players, and whoever secures his signature will be acquiring an eight-figure player for free. The 26-year-old can also be versatile and operate in many different midfield roles if required.

Jon Rowe

Jon Rowe of Norwich City was a key player in their rise up the table last year, having joined the Canaries as an 11-year-old. He shone in the youth academy in East Anglia, being nominated for awards such as the Premier League 2's Player of the Month in December 2021.

It was whilst Farke was at the club that Rowe was banging on the door of the first-team, but it was ultimately Dean Smith who awarded him with a debut in the midst of their dismal 2021/22 campaign. There are other players who Leeds could look to sign from Farke's former employers, but Rowe should be on top of the list, especially with contingency plans needed for Summerville and Gnonto.

Rowe's current deal expires in the summer of 2025, which highlights why there is growing interest far and wide in the winger, but also makes him affordable for sides in the second tier as well as those in English football's elite league. Of course, Premier League interest is likely to turn Rowe's head, but Leeds can offer him the regular game time and starts that other teams can't, perhaps making a move for Norwich's star viable.

A move up to the top end of the Championship before heading to the Premier League could benefit both Rowe and Leeds, giving them a dynamic player of real quality to help replace someone like Summerville's output, as they aim to go again for another promotion-pushing campaign next year.

Connor Roberts

It was first reported by TEAMtalk that Leeds were planning on securing a permanent deal for Connor Roberts as they look ahead to next season. That has since been reported further by The Athletic's Leeds United writer Nancy Froston.

Leeds will be short of experienced Premier League players within their squad once the likes of Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas, and Luke Ayling depart. The futures of Jamie Shackleton and Junior Firpo also remain unclear, which could leave Leeds short of defensive reinforcements across their back line. He could add continuity and familiarity, which are much-needed qualities, whilst Roberts would plug the right-back gap and give Farke a younger, yet still experienced, upgrade on Sam Byram.

He is 28 with a better injury record than Byram, and makes a lot of sense for the Whites as an option at full-back, who will have the required exposure to Farke’s style of play to slot in seamlessly, too. Roberts may not have featured heavily during his loan spell, but with his Burnley contract having just a year left, it could be a low fee, cost-effective signing, and the sort of deal a club vying for promotion should be looking to make. A full pre-season and clean bill of health could see him take the starting spot for his own on the right.

Roberts is vastly experienced at Championship level, and helped Burnley win the title in 2023 as well, and has almost 200 games in the second tier under his belt. Roberts played 15 times for Leeds in all competitions, mainly appearing from the bench, but scored once and registered one assist, and he appears to be popular amongst players and supporters alike at Elland Road.

Karamoko Dembele

At just 13, he played for the Celtic U-20 side, which speaks to his talent and potential as a player, and he still has plenty of time to develop and achieve what many had thought he would when he first broke through. Any deal for Karamoko Dembele could be agreed with Brest in the summer, and his contract with the French side runs until the summer of 2026.

In that sense, it likely wouldn't be a deal that would cost Leeds a fortune to complete, and there is logic to it, but it may rely on a few factors. Firstly, his next step should be to move up a division to play regular second tier football, and not to jump up to the top-flight straight away, which instantly makes a move to Elland Road potentially likely.

Farke could argue that the players he has at his disposal out wide makes that the strongest area of his squad, but he would be a more of a like-for-like alternative to the diminutive presence of both Summerville and Gnonto, whilst Dembele can operate centrally as well.

Dembele's age and potential would make him an obvious addition with the funds they would raise for that aforementioned pair, as it appears he is more than ready to make the step-up to Championship football next season, and he could form part of Leeds' new-look attacking unit, as they need to rebuild next season.

Paddy McNair

Leeds are going to need new centre-backs this summer, with Liam Cooper out of contract, and Charlie Cresswell hardly involved and in need of regular game time to develop further away from the club in some capacity. Like O'Hare, Paddy McNair is a versatile player, capable of operating in the heart of defence or in central-midfield, and he could provide depth in an area Leeds will need additions this summer.

It has now been years since the Northern Irish international put pen to paper on a contract at the Riverside Stadium, having penned a long-term contract until 2024, way back in December 2020. Before getting injured last campaign, despite his contract situation, McNair featured regularly for Michael Carrick's side.

On a free transfer, he would surely have plenty of Championship suitors lining up to sign him, and even some lower-end Premier League sides as well. He’s been a solid performer for Boro, and he has versatility that has made him dependable. He would be a sensible and experienced head in their defence.

A powerful defensive player with decent quality in possession, McNair could be a high quality squad player to cover the likes of Rodon and Pascal Struijk and a player they lean on more than Ethan Ampadu to cover the centre of defence when needed. Farke's reluctance to use his depth at centre-back was an issue last year, and one McNair would resolve.