Championship

Forshaw does not cut it for Leeds

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Image for Forshaw does not cut it for Leeds

Leeds United are on the verge of yet another January signing after the club agreed a fee in excess of £2million for Middlesbrough midfielder Adam Forshaw.

As reported by Sky Sports, the 26-year-old is set to become the latest new arrival at Elland Road after positive talks between the promotion rivals led to a deal being struck.

Forshaw is now set for a medical at Elland Road tomorrow, and the club are looking to complete a deal before Saturday’s Championship clash with Millwall.

There are obvious signs that Leeds director of football Victor Orta was heavily involved in this move, having spent time watching Forshaw at Middlesbrough as their head of recruitment.

And, unfortunately, this is another Orta deal that looks doomed for failure.

The Spaniard has been busy on the recruitment front for the Whites since he joined the club in May, and in all honesty, the results have not been great.

The club brought in more than 10 players in a busy summer transfer window, and yet how many of those have been bona fide successes at Elland Road?

Just one – Samu Saiz.

There have been other moderate successes, namely Gjanni Alioski and Caleb Ekuban, who have both shown serious glimpses of quality, while not producing on a regular enough basis.

However, if you look at every other Leeds summer recruit, you cannot say they have been worth it at all.

Pierre-Michel Lasogga? A massive disappointment.

Mateusz Klich? An unqualified disaster.

Jay-Roy Grot? A failure (with a bit of potential).

The list goes on, and it is not pretty viewing for Orta.

It has become clear that the Spaniard is in need of another unqualified success, another Saiz, to really secure his position at the club, and he will obviously be hoping that Forshaw is that man.

But, unfortunately for him, and for Leeds, he will not be.

Forshaw is a decent player, there is no denying that. The 26-year-old was a regular fixture for Boro in their Premier League campaign last season, and did not do himself any harm with his performances.

But is he the player to lead the Whites back to the Premier League? That is doubtful.

When you look at Forshaw, it is hard to ascertain what exactly he is good at.

His passing is average, he doesn’t score many goals nor provide many assists, he isn’t great in the air, and he doesn’t particularly love a tackle.

He will add experience to the Leeds midfield, but that is about it.

Other factors should worry Leeds fans too.

Middlesbrough have let Forshaw go for around £2million, which is not a lot of money for a player approaching his prime, and they have let him go to a team they are in direct competition for promotion with.

New boss Tony Pulis has come into the club, and immediately sanctioned an exit for Forshaw after less than a month.

Unfortunately for Orta, and for fans, the signs are not exactly pointing towards a player that will become indispensable at Elland Road, are they?

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