Three 2023/24 League One stars Leeds United should consider signing this summer

Free agents and loans aside, League One is certainly an area Leeds should be targeting this summer once the window officially opens next Friday.

It promises to be a busy few months at Elland Road after failing to win promotion last month, with Paraag Marathe insisting funds will be available to spend to replace some of the key players he also admitted will have to leave.

However, with the need to comply with the EFL’s ever-tightening PSR constraints in the second year after relegation due to a reduction in parachute payments, Leeds will need to be smart.

So with that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of three players Leeds should be targeting from the division below.

Harrison Burrows – Peterborough United

Both full-back positions promise to be an area of ​​the pitch that Leeds will need to look at this summer and there won’t be many better on the left than Peterborough United’s Harrison Burrows.

Junior Firpo and Sam Byram are Leeds’ only first-team defenders, but with just 12 months left on the former’s contract and a contract unlikely to be offered, his future is uncertain.

Firpo established himself as a key player in the second half of the season with eight assists, and Burrows could be the man to replace those excellent numbers.

With 14, he recorded the second most assists in Ligue 1 last season, while also managing to score six goals. He also created the most chances (20) in the division.

According to Sofa Score, Burrows has averaged 101 touches and 2.6 key passes per game in his 45 league appearances, showing just how good he is on the ball. This will be crucial in a team like Leeds, who have averaged the third highest amount of possession in the Championship themselves.

There are always questions about whether these types of players can step up, but his numbers are similar to Leif Davis’ last season and he took to the championship like a duck to water.

Burrows is also an excellent set-piece player, which was a major problem at Leeds last season. They have not scored a corner since the win against Ipswich on 23 December. He’s also only 22 years old and has plenty of room to grow.

Ronnie Edwards – Peterborough United

He remains with Peterborough and one of Burrows’ defensive team-mates is centre-back Ronnie Edwards, who is a highly regarded young player.

Edwards is the subject of interest from Premier League sides this summer, but a move to a top Championship side first would be the more logical step in his development.

Center back is an area that will need to be addressed this summer, still unclear if Joe Rodon will return. Liam Cooper is also out of contract, while Charlie Cresswell will again not be content with such limited game time next term.

Daniel Farke will also be keen to avoid a repeat of what happened in the second half of last season. Pascal Struijk has missed the entire campaign since Boxing Day, forcing Ethan Ampadu to drop in the back four, who has missed out hugely in midfield.

At just 21, Edwards is considered a top-flight, young ball-playing centre-back. He averaged the most accurate passes and long balls in Ligue 1 last season, showing just how comfortable he is in possession.

Peterborough are never a team happy to let their players go on the cheap, but they are certainly worth a look.

Karamoko Dembele – Blackpool (Brest)

Karamoko Dembele is technically not currently a League One player, but that is where he spent last season on loan with Blackpool.

Leeds are actually one of the parties interested in signing him this summer, with his future at Brest uncertain following the end of his loan.

The 21-year-old is a right-handed left-footer, which is a profile of the player Leeds currently lack. Amid doubts over the futures of Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto, as well as the end of Jaidon Anthony’s loan spell, Leeds will need to strengthen out wide.

Dembele comfortably enjoyed the best season of his professional career at Blackpool last term as he scored eight goals and provided 13 assists in the league alone.

Once called the next Lionel Messi, Dembele is the kind of player who would get fans off their seats with his dribbling and could be a very interesting option.