Leeds United may be enduring a tough time of late, but there is one potential addition they could make that at the very least would give them the perfect balance in midfield…
Who are Leeds United signing this summer?
Having already welcomed Ethan Ampadu into that area, Daniel Farke kicked off his summer spending with a mammoth coup, bringing in the experienced 22-year-old for just £7m.
However, since then things have gone decidedly downhill, with numerous first-team stars jumping ship given the various relegation clauses put in well before they dropped out of the Premier League.
The new boss now has to contend with the already-started Championship season as well as managing a squad that seem to mostly be looking towards the exit door. He desperately needs another win to get his tenure back on track, and there marks no finer option than reigniting their interest in Rangers gem Glen Kamara.
FootballTransfers value the Finland international at just €2.6m (£2m), suggesting that another stellar piece of business could be conducted to bolster the engine room.
How good is Glen Kamara?
Despite only joining in 2019, the midfield general took little time to acclimatise to life at a club the size of the Gers, having become a mainstay.
He now boasts 193 appearances in a blue shirt, with his ability to dictate play arguably second to none.
However, he pairs that technical brilliance with a steeliness, which former boss Steven Gerrard lauded:
“He’s a terrific footballer in possession, always playing with his head up and looking to connect defence and attack.
“But what pleased me most is what I spoke about when we signed him in terms of how he’ll be out of possession. Will he hunt the ball back, be aggressive, work hard for the team and be a monster in the middle of the park? He showed signs of that against Kilmarnock and potentially he can become a top midfielder.”
Such praise was warranted, as his performances throughout the 2021/22 Scottish Premiership season were outstanding. Maintaining a 7.01 average rating, the 27-year-old posted six goal contributions on top of his ever-economical 91% pass accuracy, with one tackle and 1.3 key passes per game too, via Sofascore.
To compare this with the exploits of Leeds’ squad last campaign, and his average rating and pass accuracy would have made him their best performer in those fields of those who featured in five or more league games, with only Jack Harrison and Brenden Aaronson posting more key passes per game, via Sofascore.
Pairing his creativity and defensive know-how with Ampadu could prove a frightening prospect for the rest of the division, especially given how the former Chelsea man has started this league term.
He too has recorded one key pass per game alongside his 86% pass accuracy, but his 3.5 tackles per game suggest that he would offer even more solidity and therefore a finer foundation to gain control over matches, via Sofascore.
Hard-working, brilliant in possession but tough in the tackle, both Kamara and Ampadu have enough quality to dominate most opposition engine rooms that they will come up against throughout the Championship season; this should come as no surprise given both boast experience at a level far beyond it.
