Leeds have been a breath of fresh air to the Premier League this season but in order for them to develop further, they will have to strengthen their squad in the summer.
What’s the word?
Last September, the Telegraph reported that Leeds were interested in signing AZ Alkmaar midfielder Teun Koopmeiners in the transfer window.
The Whites didn’t end up pursuing their interest in the 23-year-old and there has now been an update on his future.
Phil Hay put together a list of potential midfield options for Leeds in the upcoming market and Koopmeiners was a name that was included. Hay noted a number of Italian clubs were monitoring his situation, while including some quotes from the player’s agent.
Bart Baving told Italian media last month that “the time has come for the next move.”
Forget De Paul
The transfer everyone at Leeds was talking about last summer was Rodrigo De Paul.
The Udinese sensation was regularly linked with a move to Elland Road and even teased a potential switch on social media. Leeds’ interest is still there but he has proven to be too expensive for them in the past.
Who would you rather see at Leeds?
Koopmeiners
De Paul
It was thought that Udinese’s asking price usurped the £35m mark.
With that in mind, Victor Orta could do much worse than target a move for Koopmeiners. Like De Paul, he is capable of scoring and assisting with great regularity.
The Dutchman is competent in a number of positions from centre-back to central midfield, but it’s further forward that he feels most at home.
He’s registered 16 goals in all competitions this term, providing five assists for his teammates in the process. For context, that’s more than De Paul, someone who’s managed just the 11 goal involvements in comparison.
Those numbers are magnificent for someone playing in midfield and it provides evidence of what he could bring to Elland Road.
Koopmeiners seemingly has it all. He is incredibly astute defensively and has won 2.8 tackles per game this season; a number defeated by nobody in the current Leeds squad.
In that respect, he certainly offers more than De Paul. The Argentine wins just 1.2 tackles per match for instance.
Koen Stam, the midfielder’s coach at Jong AZ, once said: “I was the coach of Teun in the Under 15. At the age of 14 he was already very intelligent and he had a beautiful left foot.”
Indeed, his wand of a left foot has not deserted him as he’s grown older. Stam continued: “He always wanted to think along about the way of playing and he also got that freedom to think along. As he grew older he became more dominant and by always setting a good example himself he became a leader.”
It’s fairly evident why Orta must bring him to Yorkshire. He is an all-action midfielder capable of breaking up the play and scoring goals.
AND in other news, Orta could sign Leeds’ new Roofe in “exceptional” 26-goal gem, he’s a “special player”…