The young Whites defensive midfielder is apparently receiving interest from overseas.
Last summer, Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke was brought in to lead the squad back to the Premier League for the first time.
During the summer transfer window, the Whites manager signed numerous new players to improve his squad, and they have helped the team climb to the top of the Championship standings.
Ethan Ampadu, who was purchased from Chelsea for a reported sum of £7 million, has been one of the team’s standout performances in the second division this season, playing both defensive midfield and centre-back.
He has been in excellent form for the Yorkshire side, and Farke may have found his next Wales international in 16-year-old academy wonder Ollie Pickles.
Ethan Ampadu’s Leeds season statistics
Ampadu has made 43 appearances in all competitions for Leeds since his permanent move from Stamford Bridge last summer, scoring two goals and providing two assists.
29 of those appearances have been as a defensive midfielder, with the remaining 14 as a central defender, and he has demonstrated his ability in and out of possession.
The 23-year-old star has been a calming presence at the heart of Leeds’ midfield and defense in 2024, and Farke may already have a homegrown, long-term successor to Ampadu in Pickles, who is seven years younger than the ex-Chelsea hopeful.
Ollie Pickes’ Leeds potential
The 16-year-old talent’s progress for Leeds at U18 level has piqued the interest of several Premier League clubs ahead of the summer transfer season.
According to TalkSPORT, both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are interested in the talented kid as they compete for European football next season.
They also reported that Pickles has been compared to former Leeds star Kalvin Phillips due to his composed play in possession and great passing range, and that club insiders at Thorp Arch regard him as the next star to be fast-tracked into the first-team squad.
The adolescent sensation has a long way to go before he can boast the same career as Phillips, who made 234 appearances for the Whites and was capped 31 times by England, but those behind the scenes – at Leeds, Newcastle, and Spurs – plainly regard him as a player with enormous promise.
Pickles, who will not be 17 until October, earned his U18 Premier League debut at the age of 15 last season, making six matches and assisting once.
This season, the defensive midfielder has appeared in 13 games for the U18s in the FA Youth Cup and the U18 Premier League, and he might be considered as Ampadu’s long-term successor in the number six position.
It is now up to Pickles to realise the potential that the aforementioned teams and Leeds appear to perceive in him in order to emerge as a future first-team option under Farke.
