Highlights
- Leeds are looking at signing a young defender with plenty of leadership qualities.
- He holds plenty of similarities with Manchester City star, Ruben Dias.
- The price it would take to sign him is revealed.
Leeds United could finally be set to continue their summer spending, having seen most of their first-team stars escape at the first time of asking…
Who are Leeds United signing this summer?
For a summer that once promised much, it truly has fallen apart for Daniel Farke.
The German likely expected a strong squad with which to tackle the new Championship campaign, and yet he has had to frustratingly oversee the departure of no less than eight of his key men.
Pairing this with their poor start to the league season that has yet to bring a win, and there has been little for fans to cheer about of late.
However, journalist John Percy has finally offered some fresh hope for the Whites, as he took to social media on Wednesday to issue an update on their pursuit of Manchester City’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Writing on the platform, he issued the following update on the man reportedly valued at £15m: “Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis is a loan target for Championship clubs including Leicester, Leeds and Southampton. City are also open to selling the England under-21 captain at the right price before the window closes.”
How good is Taylor Harwood-Bellis?
Despite having now enjoyed his fourth full year in senior football, the 21-year-old centre-back has already shown enough to suggest he is more than ready to be handed an improved role.
Especially given the maturity and experience he boasts for someone so young, having recently led England U21s to European Championship glory earlier in the summer, without conceding a single goal.
His boss at international level, Lee Carsley, was quick to praise him: “Like a lot of these young players, he has grown into being a leader.”
This success came off the back of his starring season on loan at Burnley too, as he maintained a 7.21 average rating in Leeds’ new division, buoyed by his 85% pass accuracy, 1.8 interceptions, 1.1 tackles and 3.1 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
Such a rating would have made him Leeds’ highest-performer by far last campaign, with his clearances per game also enough to have seen him ranked third.
Such an aptitude when in possession blended with his towering physique understandably draws parallels with another of Pep Guardiola’s top defenders, Ruben Dias.
The Portugal international has turned into a true star under the Spaniard, winning the Premier League Player of the Season award in his debut term, leading his new side to the title.
This was spearheaded by his 7.11 average rating, as he posted stats which excelled in key areas where Harwood-Bellis has also shone. After all, he too maintained a 93% pass accuracy, alongside 0.8 tackles, 2.8 clearances and 1.1 interceptions per game, via Sofascore.
Such form understandably drew praise, with Guardiola leading it: “Ruben is not playing just his game. He is playing the game for everyone. He has the ability to see and solve the problems for many things. His character is so important. His leadership is huge especially even when he didn’t play.”
To further emphasise his similarities with his young teammate, FBref helps outline the underlying statistics that outline Harwood-Bellis as a true ball-playing star. When compared to other centre-backs across the eight leagues most similar to the Championship, he ranks in the top 1% for passes attempted per 90, the top 4% for progressive passes per 90, and the top 9% for interceptions per 90.
Should he prove to be half as instrumental as Dias was upon first moving to the Etihad, and the Stockport-born star could finally turn the tide at Elland Road and return some positivity to Yorkshire.
