Leeds United: Brian Deane drops Kobbie Mainoo into transfer plea after Archie Gray, Glen Kamara exits | OneFootball

Brian Deane has provided his verdict on Archie Gray and Glen Kamara's exits from Leeds United.

Highlights

Glen Kamara and Archie Gray have both secured exits from Leeds United over the last few weeks, and Brian Deane believes his former side require a different profile in midfield to assist the likes of Joe Rothwell and Ethan Ampadu.

The crown jewel of Leeds' academy in recent years penned a six-year deal with Spurs, after they agreed a fee of around £40 million with the Whites for Gray. The sale of the 18-year-old eased any immediate PSR concerns but that doesn’t mean further departures won’t follow. with key players of last year still potential sales this summer.

Kamara has followed him out, having only been in West Yorkshire for one season. The fee to bring the midfielder to Leeds being confirmed by The Athletic at around the £5 million mark last summer, and he has proved to be a real bargain, given his experience at international level and with Rangers in the Champions League as well.

The Finn took to his Instagram on Tuesday to confirm his gratitude to his Leeds teammates, staff and Whites supporters after securing a move to French side Stade Rennais. The Athletic report that it is thought to be approximately double what the Whites signed him for last year.

He will be a loss, though. Kamara started 33 of the 37 league games he featured in, which meant that he played more minutes at the base of Leeds' midfield than any other player in the squad, with Ilia Gruev a substitute more often than not, and both Gray and Ampadu required in the defensive line at different stages in the season.

Despite having to spend the vast majority of last season playing as a right-back, Gray is a central midfielder by trade, and his move to Tottenham left a hole in Leeds' squad in terms of midfield depth, where Leeds could really afford any further exits, but the money for Kamara meant that Leeds were down by two in the middle of the park.

Brian Deane reacts to Archie Gray and Glen Kamara departures

The Ligue 1 outfit took an interest in Kamara's services some weeks ago, with TEAMtalk since reporting that a fee of around €10million (£8.4million) was also said to be agreed between the two clubs. He departs after Leeds secured the loan signing of Rothwell from AFC Bournemouth last week.

However, speculation from TEAMtalk has suggested that the 29-year-old is a replacement for Kamara. That's despite conflicting reports emerging, with Leeds All Over reporting that this is not the case, with Rothwell’s arrival coming irrespective of what happened to Kamara this summer. He had been a player Leeds initially were looking to keep this summer, meaning a replacement will be sought on top of Rothwell replacing Gray's minutes.

Ex-Leeds United striker Brian Deane has revealed his thoughts regarding a replacement for Kamara, with the number of midfielders reducing substantially from last season, at least in terms of minutes played on the pitch.

Deane, speaking exclusively to Football League World about football today, said: “I don’t know who, but I think the kind of player they need in there is a real boss, like what Mainoo has done for England – somebody who is a good all-round player with a lot of energy.

“They need a midfielder who is going to dictate tempo going forward. It’s okay playing balls side to side and so on, but you need someone who can drive at teams now, someone who can actually carry the ball.

“They need a real physical presence in there as well, and a midfielder that is going to dominate the opposition – that’s what teams have in midfield that get promoted; someone who will dominate the opposition.”

Following the aforementioned Gray and his move to Spurs, combined with Marc Roca's permanent move to Real Betis and the return of Darko Gyabi to Plymouth Argyle, Daniel Farke's pool of central midfield options has been hit this summer.

Kamara is a very dependable player at this level, but is still replaceable, albeit challenging. For many Leeds fans, continuity is needed in the spine of Leeds' team and Kamara adds what is needed in that sense for Leeds and Farke in 2024/25.

The good news is that it appears Leeds will source a replacement if he leaves, and the figures being banded around would represent pure PSR profit for the Whites, and it's likely that it could be banked to find a capable alternative at a lower price.

Gray and Kamara have seen Leeds secure over £48 million in transfer fees, with Rothwell also joining on a free (loan) transfer as well. It leaves them light by one, but a combative and athletic presence with an eye for goal could make the Whites even stronger and more fearsome in 2024/25.