Leeds United made nine signings over the summer and trying to squeeze them in looks a tricky task for Daniel Farke

Relief must have been Daniel Farke’s overriding feeling when he woke up on Saturday morning. The Leeds United boss had endured a late evening on Friday as he saw Luis Sinisterra finally get his move back to the Premier League, with a loan move to Bournemouth.

Jaidon Anthony came the other way, of course, and Farke is excited to see what the Londoner can add to his side. But, he will have been delighted to see the back of a testing and gruelling summer window, in which has seen his first-team squad completely transformed.

A staggering 18 players left the club, either on loan or permanently, while nine came in with Farke attempting to make his mark on the group. With his squad complete, then, until January that is, what is United’s strongest starting XI? Here’s Leeds Live’s take.

Goalkeeper: Illan Meslier

The Frenchman got the nod from Farke at the beginning of the season, despite the arrival of Karl Darlow, and he has more than looked the part so far. Meslier was expected to leave this summer by many after what was a difficult campaign last time around, but he’s taken the arrival of the German as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and he seems to be growing in confidence once more.

The presence of Darlow will be enough to keep him on his toes, but Meslier will be keen to build on his early season momentum and after picking up his first clean sheet since February last weekend, he’s clearly moving in the right direction.

Defence: Djed Spence, Joe Rodon, Liam Cooper, Sam Byram

On the face of it, it seems Djed Spence has been brought into the club to take the right-back reins. The Tottenham Hotspur loanee managed to show what he was about during his cameo in the final 10 minutes of the clash with Sheffield Wednesday and while Luke Ayling has fared reasonably well in the role over the last couple of weeks, most would expect to see that change made sooner rather than later.

Joe Rodon looks the obvious call for right-sided centre-back, but the left centre-back spot looks a little trickier to select with both Liam Cooper and Pascal Struijk vying for selection when the skipper is fit. Cooper, who isn’t expected to return to action until next month, probably edges it for the leadership he offers, particularly given Ayling’s absence.

That’s not to say Struijk has struggled to perform, far from it, but it’s a tough choice and one must be left disappointed. Sam Byram gets the nod at left-back when fit, having done enough to convince in that role over the last month or so.

Midfield: Ethan Ampadu, Glen Kamara

At this early stage Ampadu has to go down as Leeds’ signing of the summer. The Wales international has got his time at Elland Road off to an outstanding start and he’s already becoming something of a crowd favourite, due to his quality and composed performances in the middle of the park.

He starts regardless, then, but with Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev arriving to compete with Archie Gray, it seems Farke has a decision to make. Gray has been wonderful in the heart of midfield so far, showcasing his remarkable talent and ability by stepping into the senior fold without breaking his stride.

However, the experience of Kamara might just be preferred in the bigger games this season and the Finland international looks capable of taking on the number eight role alongside Ampadu.

Front four: Crysencio Summerville, Wilfried Gnonto, Jaidon Anthony; Joel Piroe.

When everyone is fit Leeds really do have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to attacking talent. Dan James, Georginio Rutter, Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt are amongst those to miss out here, but that depth off the bench could well be the difference in some key games throughout the Championship campaign.

It’s clear that Summerville and Gnonto have to start most weeks given their talent on the ball and ability to make things happen at the drop of a hat. Where they play looks a little trickier, though.

Summerville looks best suited to playing on the right, cutting in with regularity to make things happen with his pace. Gnonto, though, can play on the left or through the middle as a secondary striker, which is where he spent most of his time playing prior to his switch to Elland Road.

That might be an option in order to squeeze in new signing Anthony, who could have a key role to play off the left this season. Joel Piroe is the club’s number one striker and Saturday’s difficult showing alone showed that he would probably be best suited to leading the line, rather than playing slightly deeper.