Leeds United could attempt a loan offer to sign an attacking midfielder who has been compared to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.
Leeds’ summer signings
The Whites and the 49ers Enterprises were busy over the summer, bringing in eight new additions. Joe Rodon, Largie Ramazani, Jayden Bogle, Ao Tanaka, Isaac Schmidt and Alex Cairns all arrived on permanent transfers, whereas Manor Solomon and Joe Rothwell joined on loan.
However, Daniel Farke did lose a number of important players from the 2023/24 campaign, including star trio Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray and Georginio Rutter. Summerville departed for West Ham and was replaced by Ramazani and Solomon, whereas Gray joined Tottenham with Bogle coming in at right-back. However, no replacement was brought in for Rutter, who left for Brighton.
Former Leeds manager Simon Grayson still thinks the club need a number 10, saying: “Before the transfer window closed I said Leeds needed a creative No.10 to pull the strings in midfield. I still think that’s the case, if only to add competition for places, but there’s more than enough quality in that team to win promotion.”
One player linked with coming in over the summer was Manchester City’s James McAtee, and a new transfer claim has emerged.
Leeds could make January loan move for McAtee
Angus Kinnear revealed on The Square Ball podcast earlier this month that the Whites were keen on bringing McAtee to Elland Road over the summer.
“Two of the other players, looking at the level we were looking at, McAtee at Man City, there was talk he might be released all the way through the window and then Pep decided to keep him.”
Leeds Live relayed the comments from Kinnear in a recent story looking at the Whites’ number 10 transfer targets. They state in the report that ‘a loan move for the England youth international is not out of the question come the January transfer window if Leeds want to bolster their squad for promotion’.
A swoop for McAtee in the New Year could be a shrewd move for all involved. As we know, Leeds failed to bring in a number 10 after losing Rutter to Brighton, with Farke having Brenden Aaronson as his only out-and-out attacking midfielder.
Wilfried Gnonto and Joel Piroe have been used there as well but are arguably naturally a winger and a centre-forward respectively. Therefore, McAtee, who has played 58 games as an attacking midfielder, scoring an impressive 24 goals and providing 10 assists, could be just what Leeds need.
The Man City man has played just one minute of Premier League football this season as well, so more game time for him in the second half of the season could be appealing.
Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on McAtee in the past as well, saying: “Maybe it happened because he’s a special player. These players when we don’t have incredible depth, we cannot forget he’s just 19, training every day is so important for him.”
Meanwhile, former Blades striker Carl Asaba compared McAtee to Arsenal star Odegaard late last year, saying: “He’s a bonus player in that he plays midfield and you have an extra number in there but then he can just attack. He’s like Odegaard. You play him in midfield so he’s defending for you, he’s another body for them to try and navigate away from but he likes the ball 30 yards out because he can go past you like you’re not there.”
