A lot of the discourse around newly promoted teams in the Premier League is about recruitment and who they sign, but Leeds United showed that it is also about who you bring into the division.

Whilst the likes of Anton Stach and Dominic Calvert-Lewin excelled as new signings, Daniel Farke's team ultimately thrived in the top-flight because they had a core group of players who successfully took the step between divisions.

Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, and Pascal Struijk are a few of the players who remained key players from the team that won 100 points in the Championship.

The Leeds captain, Ampadu, started all 35 of his appearances in the Premier League for the team last term, and the club may want to provide him with some cover for the upcoming campaign.

Why Leeds need to sign their next Ethan Ampadu

To ensure that competition remains high and no players become complacent with their role, Leeds should be aiming to have at least two potential starters in each position.

The Whites, though, do not currently have a natural replacement for Ampadu who can offer the same defensive qualities and physical dominance that he provides in the number six role.

He was the only central midfielder in the squad who ranked in the top five performers for Leeds for both tackles and interceptions made per game, which illustrates his importance to the side out of possession.

Ampadu, who signed a new contract at Elland Road earlier this summer, also won 62% of his ground duels and 64% of his aerial duels in the Premier League, showing that he rarely allowed opposition players to get the better of him.

Farke does not have a similar option to him in the middle of the park, as evidenced by last season's defensive numbers, which is why they should consider going in for a player to compete for that position.

How Leeds could actually upgrade on Ethan Ampadu

The West Yorkshire outfit, however, are looking at a potential signing who could arrive at Elland Road as an even better option than Ampadu, rather than as just a back-up.

Foot Mercato reports that Leeds United are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a move to sign NEOM central midfielder Amadou Kone in the summer transfer window.

The outlet claims that West Ham United and Atalanta are also keen on signing the Ivorian talent, which means that there is serious competition for his signature.

The 49ers clearly mean business in the transfer market, with the £34m signing of Tarik Muharemovic and a pending £40m deal for James Trafford, but it remains to be seen how much this deal would cost.

NEOM signed the 21-year-old midfielder from Reims for £11m last summer, and this update from Foot Mercato does not reveal exactly how much they want for his services.

The Whites should push hard to bring him to Elland Road, though, because his performances in the Saudi Pro League last term suggest that he could be even more effective than Ampadu in the number six position.

Kone averaged the same amount of tackles and interceptions per game for his side, whilst winning two more duels per match, suggesting that he is even more combative than the Wales international.

The Ivorian star also contributed slightly more to his team at the top end of the pitch and was slightly more reliable with the ball at his feet as a passer, completing a higher percentage of his attempted passes.

These statistics suggest that he has the potential to be even more effective than Ampadu because he could win more duels to break up opposition attacks, whilst also offering more to the team in possession to spark attacks, if he can adapt to the Premier League.

Whilst he is not currently playing in one of Europe's major leagues, Kone did average 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game and won 67% of his total duels and 72% of his ground duels in the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season for Reims.

He is a dominant young midfielder who has the potential to be an exceptional addition to the squad as a possible upgrade on Ampadu, if he can carry his performances over to English football, which is why Farke should be pushing to get this deal over the line.