The free agent market could be of significant use to Leeds United this summer.
Due to Leeds‘ 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the play-off final on Sunday, it now means preparations will be underway for another season of Championship football.
Though Paraag Marathe has confirmed funds will be available to spend, Leeds will not be able to go crazy due to the tighter PSR regulations in the EFL.
Before they are able to spend, Leeds also need to ensure they have fully paid off the £73 million owed in unpaid transfer instalments, and that will need to come through player sales.
Leeds are already halfway there thanks to both Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra’s moves to Bournemouth within the current financial year, but there is still work to do.
January Leeds target Paul Dummett to be available for free this summer
Leeds may be living to regret only bringing in one new face during the January transfer window after missing out on promotion to Ipswich Town and Southampton.
The two sides both strengthened more than Leeds in the winter, with Connor Roberts’ loan arrival from Burnley the only signing they made. He also looks set for a return to Turf Moor.
This summer appears as though it is going to be considerably busy, though, and the free agent market could certainly give them a helping hand, with plenty of quality available.
And one player Leeds looked at who will be on the market for nothing next month is Paul Dummett, who won’t be offered an extension by Newcastle United after 23 years as a youth and senior player.
Dummett was one of the defenders Leeds looked at but did not sign late on in January, as they looked to fill the void left by the injured Pascal Struijk, who missed the last five months of the season.
The 32-year-old made 213 appearances during his time at the Magpies, 151 of which came in the Premier League.
Leeds should stay clear of Dummett this summer
Experience will certainly need adding to Leeds’ squad this summer, with Daniel Farke having often mentioned how he had one of the youngest group of players in the division.
Leeds will lose both Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas at the end of their contracts next month, while the future of Sam Byram is uncertain too. Patrick Bamford could also be sold.
While clearly Dummett would bring a wealth of experience to Leeds, he is someone they should stay clear of based on his injury record and lack of game time in recent years.
Dummett has played just 483 minutes of first team football over the course of the last three seasons, and would clearly take some time to get up to match fitness.
Unlike last season, Leeds need to hit the ground running when the start of the campaign rolls around and Dummett simply will not be able to do that.