Mateusz Klich may well have just six games to save his Leeds United career as the club are linked with a move for midfielder Josh Cullen.
Indeed, as reported by TEAMtalk, a number of sides are looking to bring the former West Ham United man back to England, with the Whites said to be among those ‘following his progress closely’.
While this is probably exciting news for Leeds fans, it might be of concern to Klich, who has not had the best season and could be in trouble of losing his spot in the side if a new face arrives in his position during the summer.
TIF has taken a look at why it could spell trouble for the 31-year-old…
Just hasn’t Kliched
Partly due to an injury to Kalvin Phillips, Klich has been a regular in the Leeds team this season. Indeed, he has played in all but five of the club’s league games this term.
With that in mind, he must take some responsibility for the Whites’ poor campaign. While they may have done enough to avoid the drop, there has been little improvement from last season when they finished ninth in the league – and the club even sacked iconic manager Marcelo Bielsa along the way.
As a senior player, Klich has needed to step up, but across the season, his average SofaScore rating has been just 6.69 (ranking 21st in the Leeds squad), while in his last two outings, he’s underwhelmed with ratings of 6.2 and 6 – so it’s hard to say he’s been a standard-bearer.
Cullen compared
When comparing that score with Cullen over the past 12 months, the Anderlecht man comes out on top in a major way. Indeed, his average rating is up at 7.22.
On top of that, the 26-year-old has created more big chances, has a higher passing accuracy percentage, makes more tackles and interceptions per game, and is a better dribbler, as per SofaScore.
Though, in fairness to Klich, the Premier League is one of Europe’s top leagues (unlike the Belgian Pro League) and so the standard is bound to be a little different.
Will Leeds sign an upgrade on Mateusz Klich in the summer?
Yes
No
TIF Verdict…
Considering the underwhelming season he has had, Klich could well be in trouble. Add to that, the fact that he is 31 years of age (Cullen is 26) and it’s not looking too good for him right now.
With new manager Jesse Marsch still working out who his most reliable players are, Klich may well have these final six games of the season to prove his worth.
If he can’t, Cullen could well be signed as a potential upgrade in the summer.
In other news: Journalist stunned at what Leeds star has done during Easter weekend