Away from talk surrounding a mass summer exodus from Elland Road in the wake of the play-off final loss, Leeds United will be wanting to still get signings over the line to balance everything out.
Confirmation of Red Bull taking a minority ownership stake in the Whites recently could pump the Championship side with some more money to facilitate major moves through the door, with Kalvin Phillips on the Leeds radar even with promotion not being clinched.
Phillips could be put off by dropping down a division, however, even with his stock at an all-time low after a forgettable loan switch to West Ham United, with Leeds then having to look elsewhere for new midfield recruits.
The signing of this talent from Japan could soften Phillips' potential rejection, with the player in question even a World Cup goalscoring hero for his nation once upon a time, alongside being a star in the Bundesliga 2 this season in his own right.
Leeds looking at Dusseldorf star
Previously linked with a move for Ao Tanaka last year, Fortuna Dusseldorf's failure to win promotion up to the top German division could swing back open the door for the Whites to pounce and sign the Japanese midfielder finally.
According to a report from Hochi News, Leeds have lodged an enquiry to register their interest in the 25-year-old alongside a whole swarm of other suitors, which includes Sean Dyche's Everton from England, as well as parties sniffing around from Germany in the form of Stuttgart and even Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen.
Scorer of a famous winning goal for Japan against Spain during the group stages of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Tanaka has also shone for Dusseldorf this season to be such an in-demand face, with eight goals and four assists from 36 overall contests.
Daniel Farke might well view the addition of Tanaka as adding something different and fresh to the midfield spots at Elland Road, with the 25-year-old capable of operating as an attack-minded option, or as a more holding presence like Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev already present in West Yorkshire.
With Phillips' current employers in Manchester City also demanding an extortionate fee still out of the uninspiring dud, Tanaka's expected valuation sitting at a low £2.2m – according to Football Transfers – makes this a far more attractive deal to proceed with.
He could even give Leeds a similar style figure to what Will Smallbone provides for Southampton, who stood out in the crushing Championship play-off final defeat, to the detriment of Farke's men.
How Tanaka compares to Smallbone
Said to be 'similar' players via FBRef over the last year, a number of their statistics pop up as being very alike, which could make Leeds even more insistent on signing Tanaka, knowing that Smallbone had a huge role to play in Russell Martin's side sealing promotion at Wembley last weekend.
Both midfielders seem to match up with one another when it comes to progressive passes, progressive carries and their overall pass completion statistics per 90 minutes, which would stand Tanaka in good stead for a spot in Farke's XI with Leeds' game based on high quantities of possession in 2023/24, on top of overwhelming oppositions with a gung-ho mentality.
Stat – per 90 mins
Tanaka
Smallbone
Non-penalty goals
0.28
0.18
Total shots
1.35
1.68
Assists
0.12
0.09
Shot-creating actions
2.39
2.91
Pass completion %
87.2%
87.6%
Progressive passes
5.66
6.42
Progressive carries
1.35
1.53
Successful take-ons
0.72
0.15
Progressive passes received
2.99
3.51
Stats by FBRef
Smallbone does better Tanaka in some areas of their respective games when glancing above though, as the 24-year-old now awaits the feeling of lining up in the Premier League for his boyhood club next season after starring in the second tier.
Scoring in the decisive 3-1 semi-final leg win over West Bromwich Albion, the Saints number 16 – who was referred to as a "selfless" player by his manager this campaign – shone when all the pressure was on him too.
Leeds needed clutch players like Smallbone at Wembley and they could get their very own version in Tanaka – a player labelled as "one of the most underrated midfielders in world football" by reporter Ben Bocsak.
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