Leeds United have always been known for having some exciting attacking stars on their books, especially when they were Premier League regulars, way before Daniel Farke was handed the reins.

Indeed, the likes of Tony Yeboah, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and Mark Viduka have all called Elland Road home previously in the attacking areas, with the final esteemed name listed going on to bag a hefty 72 strikes for the Whites when Champions League football was amazingly on the menu.

Even in modern times, club legends have been born, with Marcelo Bielsa’s distinctive brand of high-octane football, as seen in his time at Leeds, making it easy for entertaining forward players to express themselves fully.

Raphinha, in particular, would go on to be a revered hero under the enigmatic South American, with the Brazilian attacker then solidifying himself as one of the world’s best at Barcelona, after first showing off his obvious class in West Yorkshire.

Raphinha's unbelievable spell at Leeds

Leeds really did hit the jackpot when buying Raphinha for just £17m back in 2020.

From the get-go, it was clear that the Whites had struck gold, with Bielsa even going as far as to state that the skilful 28-year-old can “unbalance” teams all by himself with his quick-thinking down the flanks, on top of his ability to put away chances for fun confidently.

A sublime 15 goal contributions would come his way during this debut season on English shores, before turning on the style even more when his team were up against it during his swansong campaign, as relegation looked a very plausible reality.

Without Raphinha’s 11 strikes during the 2021/22 campaign, slipping back down to the Championship might well have been Leeds’ grim outcome. It’s no coincidence that, after the now £77m-rated attacker left, the Whites would immediately succumb to that unfortunate demise the following season.

Raphinha was even hailed as “the best player I’ve ever played with” by another ex-Leeds hero in Crysencio Summerville, with Farke desperate for another Raphinha-style figure in his camp now to wake up his goal-shy troops.

The promotion-winning German did once actually possess a similarly electric talent to Raphinha, who could be lauded as the most impactful attacker on Leeds’ books since the stylish number ten graced the Elland Road turf.

Possessing the tricky playmaker right now definitely would have eased the pain of Facundo Buonanotte not signing, that’s for sure.

How Georginio Rutter compares to Buonanotte

Farke and Co. were crying out for more attacking signings as deadline day grew closer and closer, with the new Chelsea loanee very much on their radar at the final hour.

Unfortunately, the standout Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder would choose Stamford Bridge over Elland Road at the last minute, leaving Leeds with a lack of exciting additions late into the hectic window.

While it’s clear that the promising 20-year-old would have boosted Leeds up top in the short-term, with nine goals and four assists next to his name in Premier League action, it’s even clearer that the Whites sold a far brighter talent in Georginio Rutter to Buonanotte’s parent club just last year, even if the pair are deemed to be statistically similar, according to FBref.

After all, despite only lining up for 41 clashes for the Seagulls to date in the Premier League, the hard-to-contain Frenchman is already up to ten goal contributions for the South Coast outfit in the tough division, having previously been branded an “entertainer” by analyst Ben Mattinson for his consistent, easy-on-the-eye approach at Elland Road.

Games played

66

Goals scored

8

Assists

18

Big chances created

23

He further blows his Argentine counterpart out of the water when looking at his unbelievable Leeds numbers, with a ridiculous 23 big chances created from his 66 matches in West Yorkshire. In contrast, the 20-year-old Blues loanee would only muster up seven big chances being created last season in league action for Leicester City.

Rutter did have the advantage of largely playing in the Championship for Leeds to bump up his numbers, but based on his eight goals and five assists for Brighton already, he would have gone on to be a success for Farke’s men in the Premier League.

Regardless of what league he predominantly found himself in, his fantastic ability to entertain and enthral certainly puts him on the same pedestal as Raphinha before him.

It’s just a shame that Rutter couldn’t write his name into Leeds folklore as a dazzling performer who helped Leeds stay put in the Premier League – like the Brazilian – with the Frenchman no doubt filling the Buonanotte-shaped void well if he were still under the German’s wing today.