A highly renowned scout nicknamed "diamond eye" was reportedly at Wembley to watch one specific Leeds United player in the Championship playoff final defeat to Southampton.
Leeds transfer news
The Whites are still stinging after their 1-0 loss against Saints last month, on a day that saw Daniel Farke's side fail to turn up, blowing their opportunity to make it back into the Premier League at the first attempt.
It means that Leeds will find it hard to attract top players to Elland Road in the summer transfer window, considering they are stuck in the Championship for another year, but that's not to say that some talented individuals haven't been linked with moves to the club.
There is the threat that the Whites could lose star youngster Archie Gray in the summer, with some big clubs believed to be eyeing him up, and West Ham ace Ben Johnson has been backed to come in as his replacement. The 24-year-old is expected to depart the London Stadium on a free transfer, and his versatility allows him to do a good job at right-back, centre-back and in midfield.
Another report has claimed that Leeds could use their Red Bull money to seal the permanent signing of centre-back Joe Rodon, with the Wales international impressing on loan at Elland Road in 2023/24. It is thought that £15m could be enough to prise him away from Tottenham for good.
Farke's side's failure to return to the Premier League means that other players as well as Gray could also leave before next season, and one current hero appears to be the subject of plenty of interest.
"Diamond eye" scout watched Leeds ace in action
According to Sky Germany, Leeds midfielder Ilia Gruev was the subject of interest from scouts at Wembley last month, including Sven Mislintat, who is employed by Borussia Dortmund as a "squad planner" and has the nickname "diamond eye" because of his brilliance at scouting players.
The report states that "several observers from different clubs were present", one of which was Mislintat, and Dortmund "have had him on their radar for a long time".
Losing Gruev in the summer transfer window would be an undoubted blow for Leeds, considering what a positive impact he has throughout the 2023/24 season, having arrived from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen last year. The 24-year-old featured 32 times in the Championship in total, starting 23 times in the competition, and Adrian Clarke has heaped praise on him:
"The other player I really like in the Leeds team that no one really talks about and that’s the Bulgaria lad, Ilia Gruev. He is class, he really is a smooth operator in the heart of the engine room. Gets about the pitch, recovers possession kind of effortlessly but he does with the ball.
"He just moves it early and quickly but with real quality and rarely gives the ball away. He can drop a pass over the top of a defender all day long for those wide players."
Unfortunately, it is easy to envisage Gruev's head being turned by a move to a club such as Dortmund, considering they were playing in the Champions League final last week, so Leeds supporters may have to accept that he may only last one year with the Whites.
Leeds eyeing "unbelievable" Rodon repeat this summer
Leeds United could look to replicate the success of Joe Rodon’s loan with this summer buy.
ByKelan Sarson
Retaining the £15,000-a-week Bulgarian's services would be a massive boost for Farke ahead of what is hopefully a campaign that sees automatic promotion achieved, but that feels like the less likely outcome currently.
