Sport
Which players should Leeds keep next season?
After 16 years, Leeds United are finally back in the big time. At the second time of asking, Marcelo Bielsa has led the Whites into the Premier League, where many fans feel they belong. Attention will now turn to their squad and the question of which players should Leeds keep and who do they need to upgrade next season?
Leeds go up as champions and will be determined no to be relegated at the first time of asking so a certain amount of squad overhaul is inevitable. Let’s look at the five players Leeds should build around next season.
Which players should Leeds keeps next season?
Kalvin Phillips
The obvious place to start is with Kalvin Phillips, the heartbeat of this Leeds side. Sitting at the base of the Whites midfield, all their attacking play runs through Phillips.
While Phillips has only contributed a couple of goals and assists to Leeds’ promotion campaign, those statistics do not tell the whole story of what he brings to the side.
Phillips is the fulcrum of Leeds’ passing play and his defensive instincts help to keep the back line protected. A year ago, Phillips was the subject of a bid reported to be worth £25 million from Aston Villa but the local lad was keen to stay on and his loyalty to Leeds has been rewarded.
Many Leeds fans believe Phillips, who is not the biggest player but covers the ground rapidly, will quickly break into the England squad once he has the chance to show off his unique gifts on the elite stage for the first time in his career.
Jack Harrison
Having thrived at Elland Road on loan from Manchester City this season, Jack Harrison is set to extend his stay at Leeds after playing a key role in their promotion back to the Premier League.
Winger Harrison, one of the team’s tireless runners, has had a direct involvement in 14 goals for Leeds this season and the 23-year-old looks to have the talent to thrive again at a higher level.
Leeds’ director of football, Victor Orta, has confirmed an agreement has already been reached for Harrison to renew his loan from City. A permanent transfer is expected in summer 2021. Harrison is a strong dribbler who can open teams up from the left flank for Leeds next season.
Stuart Dallas
Bielsa loves to rely on players who are tactically versatile and Northern Ireland international Stuart Dallas definitely fits the bill in this department. A consistent passer who loves to tackle, Dallas will be playing his sixth season at Leeds during the 2020-21 campaign.
Dallas likely considers himself to be primarily a midfielder but he lines up at full-back more often than not for Leeds. That has led to some generous comparisons with James Milner, a Leeds legend who similarly made the most of his talent through a massive amount of hard work.
While there are more glamorous players in this Leeds squad, Dallas has been one of the key cogs in the machine for Bielsa. He will find a place for Dallas most games and it is not uncommon for him to be shifted around the team in the middle of a match as well. When asking which players Leeds should keep next season, few will be more useful than the Northern Irishman.
Luke Ayling
With four goals and another four assists, rampaging right-back Luke Ayling has been one of the stars of the season for Leeds and he should make the step up reasonably comfortably.
With boundless energy, the 28-year-old has a massive engine which will ensure he can keep hurting teams with runs down the flank until the very last minute of a game.
One minor question mark over Ayling is that he is not quite as comfortable on the ball as many of his team-mates. Opposition sides may decide that makes Ayling a weakness to target.
Fantasy football fans might want to consider picking up Ayling as a cheap option too, as he has a handy habit of popping up in the box to contribute key goals for his team.
Pablo Hernandez
Which players should Leeds keep next season? There are no doubts that they will retain Pablo Hernandez, a true Leeds great of the modern era. Bielsa will have to be quite careful with his use of Hernandez next season as the playmaker is now 35 years old and starting to show it slightly.
Used mainly from the bench since the lockdown as his recovery from injury continued, Hernandez hit the late winner against Swansea City that edged Leeds towards promotion.
That was one of three goals in his last four games, despite the limited game-time, as Hernandez ended the campaign in the same sparkling form Whites fans have come to expect from him.
Most Leeds supporters peg Hernandez as the team’s best and most important player, but it is a question of whether age will prove the key factor for the former Spain midfielder.
Hernandez is one of the only Leeds players with Premier League experience from his time with old team Swansea, where he was the club’s record signing and helped them win the EFL Cup.
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