Leeds United will have been relieved that they started their 2024 off with a bang instead of succumbing to a third defeat in a row in the Championship, confidently getting the better of a now managerless Birmingham City 3-0 on New Year’s Day.
That empathic win proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Wayne Rooney who was axed from his St Andrew’s post after the crushing defeat, Daniel Farke’s rampant Whites showing no mercy at Elland Road.
Still, to make up ground on Leicester City and Ipswich Town running away with the division in the automatic promotion places, Leeds could sense that this transfer window is a pivotal time to add positive reinforcements to the side and take the West Yorkshire outfit up a notch.
Farke’s men could well be after this new addition if rumours are correct, the new face keeping Glen Kamara on his toes if a deal gets over the line.
Leeds transfer latest – Andrey Santos
As per journalist Ben Jacobs – speaking on the CaughtOffside Youtube channel – the second-tier promotion hopefuls are very much interested in the services of Chelsea youngster Andrey Santos, ironing out all the fine details to potentially land the Brazilian midfielder on a loan deal this month.
Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town are also actively interested in Santos, according to Jacobs, Leeds just one of many clubs taken aback by the South American’s qualities and wanting to make a deal happen with the transfer window now open.
Returning to Stamford Bridge recently after an eye-opening loan switch to Nottingham Forest this season hadn’t gone to plan – Santos only appearing once for Forest in a wasted move – Leeds will hope they can get the best out of the highly regarded midfielder when making the drop-down to the hustle and bustle of the Championship.
Santos could well even displace fixed first-team figure Kamara on his arrival to West Yorkshire, the 19-year-old eager to show what he’s made of and ruffle a few feathers in the process.
Andrey Santos’ style of play
Once referred to as a “war machine” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Santos could become a dangerous weapon for Farke to deploy to catch teams off-guard in the second tier.
A well-rounded holding midfielder, Santos’ aggression and tenacity in tackling and disrupting play is matched by his willingness to join in with attacks and even find the back of the net on a regular basis.
Back in his native Brazil, the 19-year-old sensation would manage to net nine goals from 49 appearances playing for Vasco De Gama which would then alert the Blues to swoop in for the energetic midfielder and pick him up for a reported fee of £13m.
Kamara, on the contrary, has been understated in his play since joining Leeds from Rangers this summer.
The conservative holding midfielder has averaged just 0.20 shots per 90 minutes over the last year, according to FBRef, although his passing statistics per 90 coming in at a 92.2% average for accuracy is impressive.
Yet, Ampadu already excels in playing this role of being a reserved midfield presence away from the Finland international.
The ex-Chelsea man betters Kamara when it comes to statistics surrounding interceptions and blocks, Ampadu coming in with 1.54 interceptions and 1.69 blocks to his Finnish counterpart’s lesser 1.29 interceptions and 0.82 blocks.
If Farke wants to freshen up his holding midfield positions, signing Santos on a loan deal this month could be the perfect move to make with the Brazilian teenager – who is valued at around €10m (£9m) according to CIES Football Observatory – offering more creativity and energy from deep than Kamara.
Santos’ addition into the lineup could help Leeds overwhelm opposition defences and blow teams away, picking up more wins on the board subsequently in their pursuit of promotion.
