Leeds United have less than a month left to finish off the rest of their business in the summer transfer window as they look to build a team that can compete for promotion.
The Whites fell short at the final hurdle last season with a 1-0 defeat to Southampton at Wembley in the play-off final back in May, which has left them to prepare for a second year in the Championship.
That failure to earn promotion back to the Premier League also meant that the West Yorkshire outfit ran the risk of losing some of their best players, which is exactly how it has played out.
Archie Gray has moved to Tottenham Hotspur, Glen Kamara has signed for Ligue 1 side Rennes, and Crysencio Summerville has left to join West Ham United.
Replacing Summerville, in particular, will be an incredibly difficult task for the club over the next few weeks, due to his fantastic performances in the division last term.
Starts
41
Goals
19
Conversion rate
15%
Assists
9
Dribbles completed per game
2.3
As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old sensation was a constant threat at the top end of the pitch with goals and assists from the left wing.
Leeds in talks to sign Summerville replacement
According to The Telegraph's John Percy, the Whites are already in talks with one of their Championship rivals over a potential deal for a Summerville replacement.
The reporter claims that Leeds are plotting a swoop to sign Norwich City winger Jonathan Rowe, who was on the losing side at Elland Road in the play-offs back in May.
Percy states that the England U21 international is being eyed up as a possible replacement for the Dutch sensation, if they can strike an agreement with the Canaries.
The accompanying article from The Telegraph adds that the Whites are set to make an offer of £7m to sign the winger, who has one year left on his contract at Carrow Road – albeit with an option to extend it by a further season.
Norwich reporter Samuel Seaman backed up Percy's claim that Leeds have made an approach to sign Rowe and are in talks with the Yellows over a move for the winger.
However, the journalist reports that a fee of £7m would "not come close" to being enough to tempt the Canaries into sanctioning an exit for their academy graduate.
If Leeds can get a deal over the line before the end of the window then Rowe could come in as Daniel Farke's own version of former Liverpool star Sadio Mane.
Jonathan Rowe's comparisons to Sadio Mane
Both players are right-footed forwards who can play on either flank and are adept at dribbling and finishing at pace and with either foot, which makes it an easy comparison to make.
However, it is a comparison that talent scout Jacek Kulig made in the summer of 2022, before Rowe had emerged as a key first-team player for Norwich.
Kulig described the then-teenage winger as a similar player to Mane and hailed him as a perfectly two-footed flanker who reminded him of a young Ousmane Dembele, who is now at Paris Saint-Germain.
Being compared to a player of Mane's quality is a huge compliment to Rowe, as the former Liverpool star was an incredible forward in the Premier League for a number of years.
Appearances
34
Goals
16
Assists
2
Big chances created
9
Key passes per game
1.3
As you can see in the table above, his last season in the Premier League illustrated his goalscoring prowess at that level from a left wing position.
Overall, Mane plundered 120 goals and 42 assists in 269 appearances for the Reds in all competitions throughout his career at Anfield, which included ten or more goals in all six of his Premier League seasons.
These statistics show that the Senegal international, who now plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, was a prolific scorer who carried a constant threat at the top end of the pitch.
Farke could now land a player who offers similar qualities from a wide position, albeit at Championship level rather than the Champions League, by signing Rowe this summer.
Jonathan Rowe's attacking potential
The England U21 international had always shown promise throughout his youth career in the Norwich academy, hence why Kulig compared him to Mane at such a young age.
He caught the eye at U18 level at Carrow Road with a return of 12 goals and three assists in 31 appearances before his progression up to the U21 team, which led to him plundering 11 goals and seven assists in 31 matches.
His superb performances in the academy convinced Dean Smith to hand him 13 games in the Premier League during the 2021/22 campaign, which also happened to be Mane's last year in the division, and he registered one assist in that time.
Injury issues meant that Rowe only played three times in the Championship the following season but he returned to fitness for the 2023/24 campaign and enjoyed a terrific year, showcasing his quality at the top end of the pitch.
Appearances
32
Starts
25
Goals
12
Key passes
26
Assists
2
Dribbles completed
35
As you can see in the table above, Rowe provided a threat as a goalscorer from a left and right wing position, whilst also chipping in with a couple of assists.
Just like at academy level, the English forward, who scored 13 goals in all competitions, proved that he can score goals at an impressive rate but does not assist goals on a regular basis – just like Mane.
Rowe, whose form was described as "simply amazing" by the aforementioned Kulig, is also a player who would come in with the potential to improve at the age of 21.
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He is someone Farke could work with to develop over the coming seasons to improve his performances on the pitch and raise his value off it, whilst being the manager's own version of Mane in the Championship in the short-term.
