On the latest episode of the Lockdown Tactics podcast, Kris Boyd, Robert Snodgrass, Jermaine Beckford and Phil Hay have been discussing the latest goings-on at Leeds United and looking ahead to the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.
One topic of conversation on the recent episode was the Yorkshire side’s transfer plans this summer following their promotion back to the top flight. Hay suggests that Marcelo Bielsa’s side will look at bringing in some of the best players in the Championship to try and produce a strong showing in the Premier League next season.
Here’s what the Athletic journalist had to say about their summer transfer plans on the podcast:
“All the indications at the club have been that they’ll have a look at the best of the players in the Championship. For example, two of the players that they really like are [Ollie] Watkins and [Said] Benrahma at Brentford. Plenty of pace in both of those two, great finishers, something a little bit different to [Patrick] Bamford.
“They’re not going to be cheap, but they would fit, and not only because of their attributes, but also because they are pretty low maintenance. Bielsa quite likes that.”
TIF Thoughts…
Following Brentford’s defeat in the Championship play-off final on Tuesday night, you would perhaps expect both Watkins and Benrahma to be heavily linked with moves away after their impressive performances in the second tier. Watkins finished as the joint-top scorer in the division, contributing 26 goals and three assists in 49 appearances, which saw him earn a superb 7.26/10 average rating (per WhoScored).
Do you think Leeds could sign Watkins and Benrahma this summer?
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Benrahma, meanwhile, was rated as the best player in the Championship across the season by WhoScored (min. 1 appearance), with the Algerian averaging an impressive 7.49 rating for his performances, having contributed 17 goals and nine assists for the Bees (per WhoScored).
Therefore, you can see why Bielsa’s side might be interested in bringing both to the Premier League next season, and although Hay suggests that they may not be cheap, their performances in the Championship suggest that they would both be excellent additions to the Whites’ squad.