There have been more active clubs in the transfer market this summer, but few have made the waves Leeds United have.
Faced with their first Premier League season for 16 years, the Whites spent big to sign Robin Koch from Freiburg to fill a void at centre back following the end of Ben White’s loan spell and then broke their transfer record to lure Rodrigo from Valencia, giving them some international quality in attack.
Now, it seems Marcelo Bielsa is keen to add a winger to his squad before the window closes. At least one offer has been made for Rangers winger Ryan Kent, confirmed by manager Steven Gerrard at the time.
“Yes we have had contact from Leeds and an opening bid has been really strongly rejected,” he said (as per Sky Sports ).
More recently, Daniel James has also been linked with a switch to Elland Road, with the Welsh winger a peripheral figure at Manchester United. Of course, James came close to signing for the Whites in January 2019, when the player underwent a medical ahead of a move only for the transfer to break down at the last minute.
The Sun claims Leeds believe they might be able to convince Manchester United to let go of James, who made 33 Premier League appearances for the Reds last season, for a fee of around £12m plus add ons as they look to fund some transfer moves of their own this summer.
Both players would provide Bielsa with more forward thrust. James and Kent possess great pace and are capable of taking their team 40 yards up the pitch in the matter of just a few seconds. In terms of their final product, Kent is the more refined of the two, demonstrated by his performances for Rangers this season.
Kent has arguably been the best player in the Scottish Premiership over the early part of the 2020/21 season, finding the net four times in just eight appearances. The 23-year-old has averaged 3.9 shots per game this season (as per WhoScored), making the most prolific shot-taker in the Scottish top flight.
The former Liverpool winger has added a genuine goal threat to his game, with Gerrard allowing Kent to drift inside off the wing to move through the centre of the pitch. James is different in that he is a true winger, averaging just 1.3 shots on goal per Premier League appearance last season.
Kent is also more prolific in terms of dribbling, averaging three dribbles per game this season compared to just 0.8 from James last season.
At Old Trafford, James has been predominantly used on the right wing, but it was on the left where he caught the eye for Swansea City. This is also where Kent is most effective. But Leeds already possess an exceptional winger on the left side, with Jack Harrison impressing in the two games he has played at Premier League level so far this season.
James in particular could play on the right in the place of Helder Costa, but this would be a square peg in a round hole. This isn’t to say Leeds couldn’t use another winger. Bielsa’s side will be expected to compete on three fronts this season, with the condensed schedule set to make things even tougher. One of James or Kent would make rotation possible.
If Bielsa is concerned with the final product of both players, there, one has proven himself to be much more prolific in the final third. Only the Argentine himself truly knows what he wants from another winger added to his squad, but the qualities of both James and Kent have the potential to give Leeds something different.
