Leeds United have deployed chiefs to assess a new forward live in action, but a fresh report has revealed that there are also six other clubs chasing his signature.
Leeds United’s season so far
Daniel Farke’s side have made a fairly mixed start to the new campaign having won seven, drawn four and lost three of their opening 14 games in the Championship, meaning that they currently find themselves in third place in the league table.
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Victories |
Draws |
Defeats |
|---|---|---|
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Ipswich Town (4-3) |
Cardiff City (2-2) |
Birmingham City (1-0) |
|
Millwall (3-0) |
West Bromwich Albion (1-1) |
Southampton (3-1) |
|
Watford (3-0) |
Sheffield Wednesday (0-0) |
Stoke City (1-0) |
|
QPR (1-0) |
Hull City (0-0) |
|
|
Bristol City (2-1) |
||
|
Norwich City (3-2) |
||
|
Huddersfield Town (4-1) |
The Whites are sure to be full of confidence following the most recent thrashing over Huddersfield Town last weekend and they will know that they are more than capable of pushing for promotion this season, but regardless, that hasn’t stopped chiefs from wanting to strengthen their squad even further.
The Elland Road outfit have identified Fluminense’s right-winger Jhon Arias as a possible target, who has made a total of 135 appearances at the Maracana Stadium since first putting pen to paper back in 2021 (Transfermarkt – Arias statistics).
The Colombia international has made an outstanding beginning to this season having established himself as Fernando Diniz’s overall best-performing player with a match rating of 7.22 (WhoScored – Fluminense statistics), and the 26-year-old’s form has brought him onto the radar in West Yorkshire.
Leeds send scouts to watch Jhon Arias
According to TEAMtalk, Leeds have sent representatives to watch Arias, but they are far from alone in their pursuit ahead of January.
“A Colombian attacker who’ll play in the biggest club match of his life next weekend has been scouted by Rangers, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Wolves, Burnley, Leeds Utd and Leicester City, TEAMtalk can confirm.
“TEAMtalk has been told one of Andre’s midfield teammates – Jhon Arias – will also come under observation. We understand Crystal Palace, West Ham, Burnley, Wolves, Leicester, Leeds and Scottish giants Rangers have all checked on Arias.”
Arias is a crossing machine with fantastic assist numbers
During his time at Fluminense, Arias has posted 56 involvements (30 assists and 26 goals) in 135 outings, so it’s clear to see the positive and prolific impact he makes in the final third, but even if the end product isn’t always there, he constantly tries his best to create chances.
Sponsored by Adidas, Diniz’s £7.1k-per-week earner (Fluminense salaries), also ranks in the 95th percentile for successful take-ons so he loves to use his pace to dribble past his marker (FBRef – Arias statistics), and has made 140 crosses so far this season, which is more than any of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Fluminense statistics).
Leeds are additionally bound to find it attractive that he’s a versatile operator having been deployed in eight different positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and in four roles in the midfield, so this really is a no-brainer of a deal to pursue should the right opportunity present itself.
