Leeds United are battling fellow Premier League facet West Ham within the race to signal Anderlecht midfielder Josh Cullen this summer season.
What’s the story?
In response to TEAMtalk, Jesse Marsch’s facet are in rivalry with quite a lot of different golf equipment together with the Hammers within the chase to land the 25-year-old, with the Republic of Eire worldwide’s deal at the moment expiring in the summertime of 2023.
Leeds’ successor to Klich
With Mateusz Klich quickly to show 32 in simply a few months time, it’s high-time Leeds think about slowly easing the Poland worldwide out of the first-team image and bringing in a younger and dynamic star in the course of the park.
And in Cullen, they might discover somebody who matches that actual invoice of being hard-working, and very sturdy, similar to Klich.
Talking simply final 12 months, Anderlecht boss Vincent Kompany said: “He’s by no means referred to as the Man of the Match, however he’s the most well-liked within the squad. Those that admire him probably the most for his work are his teammates. He has just one factor in thoughts: the crew. His personal particular person comes after, within the background. If the crew wins, it’s as a result of he did loads of jobs that the others couldn’t do.
“An anecdote: towards Genk, he hit his head they usually put a bandage on him. As I do know he’s of Irish descent and difficult as iron, I slapped him on his bandage and stated with amusing: ‘Are you okay? Come on, run then, and cease making excuses.’ The identical towards Charleroi: he took an enormous deal with on the ankle, however I knew he would proceed, even when his leg was minimize in half.”
Klich has a lot of the identical never-say-die perspective traits, however his type over the previous 12 months or so has actually come underneath query amid the Whites’ return to the Premier League.
Talking simply final summer season after a very nameless show in a 2-0 defeat towards Brighton, former Leeds man Noel Whelan questioned the place issues had gone improper for the midfielder.
He said: “What’s improper with him on the minute? I don’t know. He’s not the identical participant he was a 12 months in the past although. It’s fairly weird. I’m struggling to get my head spherical how his type has dipped so badly.
“It’s another excuse why we have to go into the market this summer season. We’d like extra offensive midfielders. Klich’s efficiency towards Brighton was the right instance why. He’s so ineffective within the midfield. He didn’t run previous the defence, he hardly touched the ball, he didn’t make something occur.”
Whereas Cullen has been much less used as a dynamic goal-scoring midfielder in his time at Anderlecht – he’s but to attain this season – his time in West Ham’s U23s and with Charlton point out he has received the flexibility to interrupt into the field and ship a real finish product.
He managed eight objectives and 7 assists in 38 U23s video games, whereas his 66 appearances for Charlton noticed him give you ten complete purpose contributions.
The 12-cap machine may properly be the best successor to Klich within the Leeds engine room.
AND in different information – Leeds may unleash Thorp Arch’s breakout star in “fiery” 18 y/o who’s “received an edge”