Leeds eye £15m deal for major Phillips upgrade

Leeds United can somewhat relax across their final two Championship games, knowing their position in the Premier League for next campaign is already set in stone.

Of course, there is still the tantalising prize of the title, but it won’t be the end of the world for Daniel Farke and Co if this isn’t won with the hard work already done.

Farke will hope – regardless of recent rumours popping up surrounding his future – that he is backed in the transfer market ahead of Leeds voyaging up to the big time, with the Whites already being linked with this Premier League regular.

Leeds eyeing up move for top-flight stalwart

As per a report from Football Insider, Leeds are eyeing up a move for West Ham United stalwart Tomas Soucek, with experience added into the building seen as key, who could be signed for a fee of up to £15m.

Indeed, the report states that Soucek is viewed as an ‘ideal’ option in terms of giving Farke some more seasoned Premier League heads, with the long-standing Hammers servant also keen on a move away, having found his game-time as of late limited under Graham Potter.

Soucek has also been linked with a move to Everton to reunite with former West Ham boss David Moyes, but Leeds will pray the Czech enforcer chooses Elland Road over Merseyside, knowing that the 30-year-old could potentially strike up a healthy relationship with Ao Tanaka in the holding midfield positions.

Sealing the £15m signature of the ex-Slavia Prague man could also see Leeds move away from attempting to bring Kalvin Phillips back to West Yorkshire, with Soucek a definite improvement on the hot-and-cold Ipswich Town loanee.

What Soucek would offer Leeds

Gaining a player of Soucek’s calibre would undoubtedly help Leeds navigate the choppy waters of the Premier League, considering the 30-year-old has tallied up 189 top-flight appearances for Potter’s side.

Across 240 games in total, Soucek has also been a constant, reliable, source of goals and assists for the Hammers, with 39 strikes and 13 assists notched up proving his importance to the cause over many seasons.

Therefore, winning such a comfortable performer in the tricky division is a no-brainer move for Farke, with Soucek able to gift Leeds grit and quality in equal measure alongside the likes of Tanaka in the midfield areas.

After all, the Japan international will be beaming at the prospect of challenging himself in England’s elite league having impressed throughout the Whites’ promotion success story, seen in the new fan’s favourite picking up four goals and two assists across 41 Championship encounters.

But, away from his impressive output, Tanaka is also tuned into his dogged game as much as Soucek, with the number 22 winning 4.5 duels per league game this season on average. To add context, his potential new Czech teammate playing in the division above has won 5.1 on average.

With seven goals under his belt too in the Premier League for 2024/25, Soucek is more than proving – despite talk of him exiting the London Stadium – that he is still a composed performer at the level deep into his playing days, with another of Leeds’ targets in Phillips unfortunately not able to boast such glowing numbers donning Ipswich blue.

Playing a background role in Ipswich’s fight against the drop, Phillips is now way off what his previous best once was at Elland Road, with Soucek way more effective and impactful in games compared to the former England international.

Therefore, gambling on him to come good again would be an almighty risk, away from any sentimental reasons for a move being back on the table.

Winning Soucek would show that Leeds are serious about staying put in the top-flight, meaning his signature should be a top priority to obtain.