Leeds United have finally started to get the ball rolling ahead of their Championship campaign with a full take-over confirmed and Daniel Farke appointed to take on the challenging head coach role at Elland Road.
Not only that, their recruitment plans and strategy is starting to take some shape; not only in identifying key targets who could improve the team next season but also allowing the players who are not sold on staying to compete in the second tier.
Robin Koch is the first first-team player to make an exit with the defender leaving on a season-long loan to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, whilst a number of others like Jack Harrison, Wilfried Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville have been linked with moves away from the Whites.
As a result, Farke has a huge task on his hands to ensure his team can compete comfortably to earn an instant return to the top flight and whilst the quality of their Premier League-proven stars will be important, it will also be essential to bring in some talent who have experience of the Championship.
One player who has been recently linked with a move to Elland Road is Nottingham Forest's Sam Surridge, a striker who not only has the experience to make an impact in the second tier but is also a youthful prospect that could be a worthy heir to Patrick Bamford.
The Athletic's Leeds reporter Phil Hay has claimed that Leeds are interested in a number of players to fill key roles in the squad next season and Surridge is named as a potential option for the club.
Would Sam Surridge be a good signing for Leeds?
If Leeds can acquire the right players to bolster key positions in the team and retain the services of some of their most important components, there is no reason why the club won't be in contention to follow in Burnley's footsteps to secure automatic promotion next season.
Farke has twice masterminded Championship promotion during his time at Norwich City which puts the west Yorkshire outfit in a great position to achieve their goal.
The signing of Surridge would be a great opportunity for Leeds to bring in a player who has been a huge presence in the league in the past and if he can make a similar impact next season he could easily challenge Bamford for the future spot in the number nine role.
Over 27 appearances last season, the 24-year-old – once hailed "clinical" by journalist Callum Castel – scored three goals and registered two assists and despite being out of favour for the most part, he tallied up a goal contribution every 148 minutes.
In the Championship, the £15k-per-week machine has experience playing in the centre-forward role for Stoke City, Swansea, Bournemouth and of course, Nottingham Forest with 87 appearances, 17 goals and four assists, promoted once due to his efforts through the play-offs with the Tricky Trees in the 2021/22 campaign.
Bamford has struggled to offer a consistent output over the last two seasons with injuries limiting his game-time and an inability to get into a consistent run of form – scoring just 11 times over the most recent two campaigns – so now Surridge could be a competitor for the 29-year-old Leeds striker needs to improve his performances next season.
With that being said, if Leeds can strike up a deal for Surridge it would be a good piece of business for the club and with consistent minutes at Elland Road it could provide Farke with a worthy heir to succeed Bamford in the future.