Leeds United have signed Ethan Ampadu on a permanent deal from Chelsea.
The 44-cap Welsh international joins on a four-year deal from Chelsea, with Leeds United paying an initial fee of £7million for the 22-year-old.
It is Daniel Farke’s first marquee signing of the summer following the recent arrivals of youngsters Josh McDonald and Lewis Pirie, and fans will be hoping it’s the first of many as Leeds gear up for what is going to be a tough campaign in the second tier.
And the presence of Farke looks to have played a huge part in Ampadu joining Leeds United. As quoted by Phil Hay, Ampadu had this to say on Farke:
“When I spoke with the boss, as soon as I got off the phone call I knew what I wanted, he really impressed me. He told me what he liked about me and where he thinks I can improve as a player.”
Ampadu has spent a lot of time out on loan in his career. He has just the one Premier League appearance for Chelsea to his name and there’s some debate about what his best position is, with the Exeter-born Ampadu able to play in defence or midfield.
Over to Farke
Farke is a hugely experienced name in management and in the Championship. The attraction of playing under him and for a huge club in Leeds United is obvious, but now it’s over to Farke to make the signing of Ampadu worthwhile.
He’s still a very young player and he’s got some good experience behind him. Farke though needs to figure out how to best utilise Ampadu going into next season and how to start fulfilling his potential.
On the whole though, it looks like a very positive signing for Leeds United and the lure of Farke could yet see some more exciting names arrive at Elland Road in time for the 2023/24 campaign.
