Here are your Leeds United headlines for the morning of Tuesday, November 17.
Leeds United centre-back ranked among Europe’s elite
Liam Cooper has underlined his status as one of Leeds United’s most important players this season, proving himself at Premier League level a decade after he first made his debut in the division.
Now, the Scotland international has been ranked among Europe’s elite for defensive aerial duels won this season, according to data released by the CIES Football Observatory.
Cooper has won 80% of his defensive aerial duels in the Premier League this term. For context, Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk won just 76.1% of his defensive aerial duels as he helped Liverpool to the title last season.
The Leeds captain is keeping good company alongside the likes of Kurt Zouma, Harry Maguire, Yerry Mina, and James Tarkowski who are also averaging more than 80% so this season.
History shows Leeds can cause Arsenal problems
In the end, it was Arsenal who moved on in last season’s FA Cup, but Leeds showed enough in January’s clash at the Emirates Stadium to suggest they can hold their own against the Gunners.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side were drawn to face the north London side in last season’s third round and gave the Gunners a real test in the first half in particular, with Reiss Nelson scoring a second-half winner for the hosts.
As Beren Cross notes for Leeds Live, this match was the first true sign that the Whites would thrive at Premier League level, with Leeds impressive on Arsenal’s own patch.
Leeds will host Mikel Arteta’s side at Elland Road on Sunday with Bielsa’s side looking to bounce back after back-to-back 4-1 defeats to Leicester City and Crystal Palace.
Every January transfer made by Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa
The January transfer window is starting to appear on the horizon, with the market open for business again in just over six weeks’ time. And Leeds have been known to make mid-season additions in the past.
The Whites were busy in the summer, but the honeymoon period is over for the club in the Premier League and Bielsa could be tempted into adding to his squad in January to bolster what he already has.
This is only Bielsa’s third season in charge of the Elland Road outfit, but he has made a number of signings in the January window.
And Leeds Live have delved into every January signing made by the club since Bielsa took over in the summer of 2018.
