Journalist Conor McGilligan took to Twitter to praise Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge – and claims Leeds United should sign the 24-year-old ahead of next season as he would ‘massively’ improve their midfield.
The Whites narrowly escaped relegation on the final day of last season after they beat Brentford 2-1, finishing 17th in the Premier League table, just three points ahead of Burnley, who were relegated after ending the campaign in 18th.
Leeds have now turned their attention to the transfer market in order to build around manager Jesse Marsch and improve their side ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. So far, they have managed to sign two Red Bull Salzburg players in Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen and are looking to add further names like Sporting winger Gonzalo Plata, who is reportedly available for just €10m (£8.5m).
However, McGilligan has stated that the Yorkshire side needs to address a different area of the side, claiming they should go all out to sign Sheffield United midfielder Berge, who impressed last season as the Blades made the play-off semi-finals.
Amid links to Bayern Munich midfielder Marc Roca, he wrote on Twitter: “Hoping Roca isn’t going to replace my fantasy thinking of a Sander Berge transfer.”
After a response questioned whether Leeds would stump up enough cash for the Norwegian, McGilligan added: “Did we spend 30m on Rodrigo? By my reckoning, SB [Berge] sorts out our midfield massively and is therefore worth that money!”
TIF Thoughts on McGilligan’s comments…
Leeds desperately need to bolster their midfield options in the summer transfer window as they are short of numbers in that area, with only Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich, Adam Forshaw and Jamie Shackleton recognised as central and defensive midfielders.
In the Championship this past season, the £14.4m-rated Berge racked up six goals and four assists while averaging 1.1 shots, 0.8 key passes, 1.3 dribbles, 1.1 tackles, and 1.5 long balls per game with an 82.8% passing accuracy (as per WhoScored).
Berge, who has been called a ‘Rolls-Royce’ by Rhian Brewster, could therefore be a perfect fit alongside Phillips in the heart of midfield. He stands at 6ft 5in and has played in several positions in midfield – mostly in the centre of the park, but also as an attacking midfielder and defensively, showing his versatility.
That could be key with Leeds’ injury problems during the most recent campaign. While it may cost them significantly more than their recent signings, as McGilligan suspects, after spending £30m on Rodrigo, we think they should definitely risk splashing the cash on Berge.
Should Leeds sign Berge?Yes
No
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