Leeds eyeing £6m star signing with 'crazy athleticism'

The January transfer window will officially open for business next week and Leeds United He could be in the market to bolster the squad before the second half of the season.

After the white team's victory over Oxford United with a score of 4-0 championship On Elland Road on Saturday, Daniel Wake He stressed that the club is not under pressure to sell its key players next month.

And he said to Yorkshire Evening Post: “We're a health club at the moment so there's no pressure to do anything. We can't spend a fortune but there's no need to do anything in terms of making more money.”

This suggests that the West Yorkshire side will not have to cash in on any of their stars in order to enter the market to improve their options, if they decide they need to.

It was recently reported that the Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Centre-back Pascal Struijk, and these latest comments from Farke suggest that Tottenham will need to spend big money to tempt Leeds into selling the Dutch giants.

On the other hand, there is now a report suggesting that the Whites are eyeing a potential addition in the midfield in the January window and it could be a repeat of Ethan Ampadu…

– Ethan Ampadu Blinder, Leeds United player

In the summer of 2023, Leeds swooped to sign the Wales international from Premier League side Chelsea on a contract basis. The reported fee is £7 millionwhich turned into a deal.

Ampadu was on loan with Spezia in the Italian League during the 2022/23 season. Starting 32 times In Serie A, the white team convinced him to relegate to the second division to play a starring role with Farke last season.

The 24-year-old star, who led the team in the second half of the season, started it all 49 league matches For Leeds – including the play-offs – where they eventually lost 1-0 to Southampton in the final.

Ampadu, who has been used as a defensive midfielder and as a centre-back, has caught the eye with his incredibly strong performances off the ball.

As you can see in the table above, the former Chelsea player was a dominant defensive force, whether it was in midfield or as part of the back four, winning most of his duels and making 9.8 tackles, interceptions and recoveries each time. Average match.

Leeds have managed to snatch up an excellent talent who has been unable to make the breakthrough at one of Europe's top clubs, despite a spell on loan in the top flight with Spezia, and they could be set to do the same here…

Leeds are looking to pounce on the defensive midfielder

According to journalist Alan Nixon. On his patreonLeeds United are one of the teams looking to sign Sporting defensive midfielder Dario Esugu ahead of the second half of the season.

The reporter claims that Premier League giants Chelsea and the Whites are keen to reach a deal to sign the 19-year-old talent to bolster their respective midfield options.

This suggests that the West Yorkshire outfit will have to convince the youngster that a move to Elland Road would be more beneficial for him than the prospect of him going to Stamford Bridge to be loaned elsewhere or being on the fringes of the first team, with the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandes and Romeo Lavia already in the mix. Enzo Maresca collection.

The Whites were linked with an interest in Esugu earlier this month, and that has been the case reported at the time That he could charge a fee of £6m, as part of a commitment to buy at the end of the term, to secure a deal for his services.

Sporting allegedly want Leeds to take him on loan with a commitment to make the deal permanent for £6m, regardless of any potential promotion to the Premier League, and it remains to be seen whether they are competitive or not. Chelsea financially.

However, the 49ers could repeat the blind spot they had in signing Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea, ironically, if they can get a move across the line in January.

Why could Dario Esugu be Ethan Ampadu 2.0?

As was the case with Ampadu last year, the Portuguese talent is in the ranks of a top European team. In this case it is Sporting and he is currently on loan in a top flight in La Liga with Las Palmas.

This means Leeds could repeat their blind match for the Welshman by pouncing on another player, who has proven his ability in a top-quality league, from a top club.

Essugo, like Ampadu, is also an incredibly strong defensive midfielder in duels and always looks to regain possession for his team through tackles, interceptions and recoveries.

The 19-year-old star, who was claimed by U23 scout Antonio Mango He has a “crazy sportsmanship”he has All 12 started Of his appearances for Las Palmas in La Liga so far this season, showing that he is reliable to start week after week in one of Europe's top leagues.

As you can see in the table above, the impressive youngster has provided an impressive defensive presence at the base of midfield, with 9.1 tackles, interceptions and recoveries per game.

His defensive contributions are similar to Ampadu's last season for Leeds, with a similar number of tackles and a slightly better duel success rate compared to the Welsh captain.

Esugu – who has also been described as “one of the most exciting defensive midfielders in Europe” By Scout Jacek Kulig – He also showed that he can be relied upon in possession, with a passing success rate of 88%, and these statistics indicate that the Whites may find a new Ampadu by signing another defensive midfielder who can defend brilliantly and provide quality on the ball.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not the 49ers will be able to get a deal to beat Chelsea to his signing in the January transfer window.