Leeds United

Leeds United: McGilligan slams idea of club spending £17m on outcast

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Journalist Conor McGilligan has slammed the idea of Leeds United signing Liverpool outcast Takumi Minamino for a reported £17m, claiming he does not know where he would fit in the starting squad. 

Leeds have started their rebuild under manager Jesse Marsch, signing two stars already in Red Bull Salzburg duo Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen for a combined fee of around £35m.

One area they are yet to address is their forward line, which was disastrous last season, finishing with only 42 goals all season long, ranking as the fifth-lowest team in terms of goals scored. Only Raphinha and Jack Harrison managed double digits with 11 and 10 strikes respectively, which has led to speculation around potential attacking signings for the Whites.

A recent link has the Yorkshire team in the race for forgotten Liverpool man Minamino, who has struggled for game time. And with the purchase of Benfica star Darwin Nunez looking to be completed soon, he could become further surplus to requirements.

However, this possible transfer is not loved by all, with McGilligan slamming the idea of paying a whopping £17m for a player who barely featured for the Reds last season.

He said on the One Leeds Fan Channel: “Minamino, I don’t ever really see coming to Leeds United. I see it as an option, I see it as a good option but £17m is just bothering me a little bit.

“I just don’t know. I do see this Jesse Marsch system as a little bit more physical, a little bit more reliant on athleticism, a little bit more reliant on physicality when it comes to the 4-2-2-2 system.

“So yeah, for me, no, but I would understand if it happened. I just don’t know where he’d fit in, to be quite honest with you.”

TIF Thoughts on McGilligan’s comments…

While Leeds desperately need some more attacking options with the injury issues of Patrick Bamford and the exit rumours involving Raphinha heating up, it is hard to tell if Minamino is the guy that can take them further up the table.

Last season, the Japanese forward only managed 24 appearances across all competitions for the Reds last season, netting 10 goals and one assist in just 1,008 minutes on the pitch. While this is a good tally for someone who played such little football – it would rank joint-second for Leeds’s top scorers last term – Minamino was playing in lesser competitions and was playing alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Thiago.

The last time Minamino, who has been hailed as ‘incredible’ by Jurgen Klopp, went to a team on the same sort of level as Leeds was his half-season loan to Southampton in the 2020/21 season., but he only managed two goals in this time despite playing 10 games in the top flight. While a signing like Minamino could be good for a small fee, paying £17m for a team like Leeds feels like too much of a gamble when they need guaranteed results.

Should Leeds sign Minamino?

Yes

Yes

No

No

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