With Daniel Farke having been handed the reins for the foreseeable future at Leeds United, the 46-year-old will likely be keen to get to work quickly in order to revive the fortunes of the ailing Elland Road outfit.
The German tactician will inherit a squad that distinctly underwhelmed and underperformed last term having endured a dismal relegation to the Championship, with heads needing to roll if the Whites are to have any hope of sealing a swift return to the top flight.
Among those who the former Norwich City boss should be looking to move on is floundering full-back, Junior Firpo, with the struggling dud having failed to make the grade after joining from Barcelona on a £13m deal back in 2021.
As journalist Dean Jones recently noted, the 26-year-old has "had some difficulties in the Premier League" over the past two seasons, with pundit Paddy Kenny stating in 2022 that the defender "doesn’t have much defensive awareness and his positioning is poor."
Also described as looking "flat-footed or fast asleep" at times by Kenny, the left-back has made "high profile and costly" errors during his time in Yorkshire, according to Jones, having proven himself something of a "liability" in the backline.
The end of Firpo's Leeds nightmare may be in sight, however, with Fabrizio Romano having reported last month that the former Spain U21 international is looking to leave the club, with further reports indicating that a handful of La Liga sides are interested in a deal.
Farke could then move to hasten that exit amid a recent report from the Daily Mail which claimed that the club have 'checked on' a possible left-back replacement in the form of AZ Alkmaar's, Milos Kerkez, with the 19-year-old valued at around £20m by the Eredivisie side.
While the piece does suggest that it is AFC Bournemouth who are currently in talks to sign the teenager, it would be wise for Leeds to try and get to the front of the queue in order to solve their full-back woes.
Who is Milos Kerkez?
Described as a "high quality attacking full-back" by talent scout, Jacek Kulig, the eight-cap Hungarian international would seemingly represent a dream upgrade on the left of the defence, having sparkled in the Netherlands in recent times.
While the Serbian-born starlet was unable to make his mark at former club AC Milan – whom he left last year after failing to make a single first-team appearance – his quality has been on show in his current home, having registered five goals and seven assists in 52 games in all competitions in the 2022/23 season.
That record is in stark contrast to what Firpo achieved last term as the £60k-per-week man registered only two goals and two assists in 26 games across all fronts, having been unable to pose a real threat in an attacking sense.
Equally, Kerkez also represents a potentially superior defensive asset having won 60% of his ground duels last season as well as 57% of his total duels, again representing a far greater record than the current Leeds man (49% and 50% for the same two metrics, respectively).
Firpo's woes were also laid bare by the fact that he recorded an average match rating of just 6.55 in 22/23, as per Sofascore, to see him rank 22nd among his teammates, while Kerkez, by contrast, had an average rating of 6.99 – further proof of his impressive recent form.
With the youngster also the type of player that can be a mainstay of the Whites' defence for the long term due to his relative youth, it should be a no-brainer for Leeds to firm up their interest in the 5 foot 11 sensation, with such a deal potentially allowing Farke to send Firpo packing sooner rather than later.
