Leeds United have enjoyed, or endured depending on how you want to look at it, a relatively quiet start to the summer transfer window, which has been open for almost a month.
The Whites have only had one major player move on from Elland Road following their failure to secure an instant return to the Premier League, with Archie Gray leaving to join Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent deal.
That move did, however, see central defender Joe Rodon join the club on a permanent basis after his loan spell in West Yorkshire during the 2023/24 campaign.
The Welsh titan has been the only addition of the window so far and it remains to be seen how busy the club wants to be in the market before it slams shut at the end of August.
Daniel Farke could want to make further signings to bolster his squad and ensure that his team is prepared enough to make another push to secure promotion out of the Championship next season.
There could be further movement in the centre-back position ahead of the 2024/25 campaign as players, who would need to be replaced, could be moving on from Elland Road.
Change on the horizon for Leeds
Firstly, Liam Cooper is currently a free agent after his contract with the club expired at the end of last month and it remains to be seen if he will put pen to paper on an extension.
TEAMtalk recently reported that he is likely to move on from West Yorkshire after almost ten years of service but nothing has been officially confirmed or taken off the table for the Scotland international, so his situation is one to monitor for now.
One centre-back who also looks set to move on from the Whites is England U21 international Charlie Cresswell, amid links with a switch to France.
The BBC recently claimed that the right-footed colossus is set to complete a transfer to Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse after the two sides agreed a £3.8m deal.
Cresswell had failed to agree personal terms with the French side in a previous trip to discuss a contract but is now set to return to France and finally complete his exit from Leeds.
Why Leeds are right to cash in on Charlie Cresswell
Whilst supporters may look at the club cashing in on a 21-year-old England youth international as a big blow, as he is a young player with potential, it could be the right move for all parties involved.
Firstly, Cresswell is not going to fulfill his potential and develop at an impressive rate if he is stuck behind Rodon in the pecking order, as shown by his measly five appearances in the Championship last term.
The English titan may want to be playing week-in-week-out to gain valuable experience and Leeds are not able to offer that, which is one reason why a transfer makes sense.
His performances for Millwall on loan during the 2022/23 campaign may also provide an insight into why Cresswell does not figure in Farke's long-term plans at Elland Road.
Appearances
28
Pass accuracy
71%
Pass accuracy in opposition half
55%
Long ball accuracy
41%
Error led to goal
2
As you can see in the table above, the young defender struggled with playing out from the back as his pass accuracy left a lot to be desired and he made two errors that directly led to goals with his distribution.
Whereas, Rodon, for example, completed 91% of his attempted passes and 84% in the opposition half without making a single error that led to a shot or goal for the opponents last season for Leeds.
Cresswell, therefore, may have been deemed not good enough in possession to suit Farke's ball-dominant Whites side, and the German head coach could brilliantly replace the Englishman by securing a deal for reported target Jordan Torunarigha.
Why Leeds should sign Jordan Torunarigha
Leeds were linked with an interest in the Gent star earlier this summer but they may have to move quickly to get a deal done now amid competition from elsewhere.
German reporter Florian Plettenberg recently reported that German side Stuttgart are interested in a swoop for the Nigeria international and have already opened talks with the Belgian outfit.
The journalist added that it could take a fee of up to €5m (£4.2m) to secure an agreement for the central defender, who has one year left on his contract.
Farke could brilliantly replace Cresswell by signing the 26-year-old brute ahead of Stuttgart this summer, as he is a dominant and progressive defender.
Firstly, Torunarigha won 57% of his duels and made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game across 30 outings in the Pro League last season, whilst Cresswell won 60% of his battles and made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per match in the Championship for Millwall.
This suggests that there is not much to separate what they do out of possession, but it is on the ball where the progressive Gent star could come in as a far better option for Farke's style of play.
Shot-creating actions (per 90)
1.22
1.00
Progressive passes (per 90)
4.79
3.23
Progressive carries (per 90)
1.42
0.60
Pass accuracy
85%
71%
Pass accuracy in opposition half
71%
55%
Error led to goal
0
2
As you can see in the table above, the Nigeria international has the quality to offer considerably more to Leeds in possession than the Englishman.
He is a progressive centre-back who constantly looks to play forward with the ball without making many mistakes, whether that be errors that lead to shots or goals, or consistently giving passes back to the opposition.
His far superior pass accuracy combined with his impressive progressive statistics indicate that he is far more suited to the manager's dominant, front-footed, style of play, which is why Torunarigha could be a brilliant replacement for Cresswell.
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Being a left-footed player also means that the Gent titan could fill in on the left side of the defence and play out naturally on his favoured side, which means that he could replace Cooper as well as the England U21 international.