Peter Lynch

Thu 13 July 2023 14:10, UK

Leeds United were perhaps prepared to lose several of their high-profile players this summer, regardless of what happened to the club last season.

But their relegation from the Premier League has simply sped up the exits, with the likes of Robin Koch and Brenden Aaronson having already left on loan.

Plenty of players will follow, with star striker Rodrigo one such player as the Spaniard edges closer to a permanent exit from Elland Road.

The 32-year-old, who was the club’s top scorer last season with 15 goals in all competitions, is currently having a medical at Qatari club Al-Rayyan [Fabrizio Romano, 13 July].

The fact that he was the only Leeds player to hit double figures for goals last season is enough to panic fans of the West Yorkshire outfit, but they have been dealt another blow given how only Arsenal duo Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka boasted a better big chance conversion rate in the Premier League last season.

For 10+ big chances created, Trossard and Saka both posted figures of 70%, with outgoing Leeds ace posting a figure of 66.7%, as per WhoScored.

The Whites now have a huge task on their hands in replacing the goals of their Spanish star, with the likes of Patrick Bamford and Georginio Rutter not coming remotely close to hitting the heights that Rodrigo reached last season.

The Spaniard is one of the few Leeds players who can hold his head high despite the club’s relegation, with that demotion to the Championship certain to have been much earlier in the season if it wasn’t for his goals.

In other Leeds United news, one Whites player has been given extra holiday time amid a Thorp Arch update.