Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has bolstered his options in the middle of the park with the additions of Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach in the summer transfer window.
The German boss moved to add physicality to his options in midfield to go along with the technical quality that Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka, and Ilia Gruev offer to the team.
Ampadu’s absence in midfield was felt in the 5-0 loss to Arsenal at The Emirates on Saturday, as the Gunners found it far too easy to get past Gruev to run at the Leeds defence.
The midfield area of the pitch was so important to the West Yorkshire outfit when they were last promoted to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa, who led the club to a top-half finish.
Leeds enjoyed a sensational first season back in the top-flight to finish well clear of relegation, and a key part of their success was having a strong midfield.
Academy graduate Kalvin Phillips played a significant role in how effective the team was in the middle of the park, with his fantastic performances in his first year in the Premier League.
How Kalvin Phillips earned an England call-up
The Yorkshire-born star started 37 times in the Championship in the 2019/20 campaign, per Sofascore, as Leeds romped their way to the title, which was clinched in lockdown.
Phillips won 4.0 tackles and interceptions per game, winning 54% of his overall duels in the division, but there was still a question mark over whether or not he would be able to handle the step up in quality from the Championship to the Premier League.
Boy did he answer that question and leave no doubt. The Leeds number 23 hit the ground running in the Premier League and bossed the midfield for the Whites to help them achieve a top-half finish in the 2020/21 campaign.
In fact, after just one season in the Premier League with Leeds, Phillips was described as one of the best midfielders in world football by teammate and captain Liam Cooper.
His statistics in the top-flight for the Whites in the 2020/21 campaign show that he was among the top players in England, at least, when it came to being a defensive monster in midfield.
Tackles
2.74
Top 12%
Interceptions
1.67
Top 18%
Blocks
1.82
Top 9%
Clearances
1.96
Top 9%
Aerial duels won
1.11
Top 39%
Passes blocked
1.30
Top 15%
As you can see in the table above, Phillips ranked highly among his positional peers, and it did not go unnoticed by Gareth Southgate, who made him a key part of the England side at the European Championship in 2021.
The English star started seven times on on his country’s way to losing in the final to Italy, and the Whites are now interested in a star who could follow in Phillips’ footsteps.
Leeds eye ambitious move for England star
According to MOT Leeds News, Leeds United are eyeing up an ‘ambitious’ approach to sign Manchester United and England central midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
The report claims that the injury to Ampadu has sparked a bit of a concern at Elland Road, and that the Red Devils academy graduate has emerged as a transfer target for them late in the summer transfer window.
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It adds that Leeds would like to sign one more midfielder before next week’s deadline and Mainoo is being lined up as a possible loan target for Farke’s side.
The outlet reveals that Mainoo would be open to a transfer away from Old Trafford, but Manchester United are unlikely to sanction a loan deal this late into the window.
MOT Leeds News does claim, though, that the situation could change and an opportunity could open up if the player decides to push for a move in the coming days.
Why Kobbie Mainoo should sign for Leeds United
Ditching Manchester United, even if just on loan, for Leeds may not seem like an obvious career move for Mainoo, even in spite of the situation the Red Devils find themselves in, but it could be the right one for his career.
It is a World Cup year for players, with the World Cup taking place in Mexico, USA, and Canada next year, and that means that they need to be playing regularly, and playing well, to push for a place at the tournament.
Mainoo has been an unused substitute in Manchester United’s first two matches of the Premier League season, despite his team picking up just one point from those games, and does not appear to have much hope of crashing into Ruben Amorim’s two-man midfield.
However, Farke’s switch to a 4-3-3 this season could provide Mainoo with the perfect platform to excel as one of the two eights ahead of a number six, which is not something that he has the luxury of in Amorim’s system.
At the start of last season, pundit Robbie Earle said: “You hear the term generational talent when you talk about this guy. He controls the game for Man United, he’s got the maturity and ability to slow the game down and make sure people are in place.
“He plays like a 29-year-old not a 19-year-old, he’s got poise, athleticism, ability in and around the box, he’s an absolute jewel, you build a team around him.”
United did not heed these words because they then hired a manager who played a system that did not suit his talents, hence why he has now found himself as an outcast at Old Trafford.
Take-ons attempted
2.71
Top 20%
Take-ons completed
1.42
Top 18%
Take-on success rate
53.4%
Top 28%
Goal-creating actions (take-ons)
0.09
Top 4%
Goal-creating actions (shot)
0.09
Top 2%
Goal-creating actions (fouls drawn)
0.05
Top 9%
As you can see in the table above, Mainoo excelled in the 2023/24 campaign, prior to Amorim’s arrival and change in system, as a midfielder with the license to carry the ball and take players on.
As part of a midfield three, the England star could excel at Leeds by being given the perfect platform to showcase his best attributes in the middle of the park as a regular starter in the Premier League.
This is why Mainoo should push to complete a loan move to Elland Road in the coming days because he could follow Phillips in using Leeds as the place to make his push for a starting berth for England in a major tournament at the end of the season.
