Leeds United 2 West Ham United 1: YEP video verdict
Daniel Farke’s side could reinforcing from Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga to ensure Premier League survival
So while Sunderland’s run to the Champions League places has grabbed the headlines, Leeds spending the season so far outside the relegation zone while winning as many top flight games as Newcastle, Brighton and Everton is almost as impressive.
Whereas The Black Cats’ spending spree drew plenty of admirers and Burnley had their historically brilliant defence to draw faith from following promotion, Leeds simply looked like a solid but unspectacular side who’d struggle like Sheffield United, Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton.
A game two years in the making that could cause more sick days than coronavirus and cause more spousal fighting than Boxing Day matches, so we decided to get ahead of the degeneracy curve and simulate to the end of the January transfer window and look at who FM26 believes Leeds will sign…
Bellingham and Mayulu to Leeds United in blockbuster prediction
Irakli Azarovi - £13.75 million from Shakhtar Donetsk - a left-back in the no-nonsense mould of Gabriel Gudmundsson (but hopefully without the own goals), Azarovi is a 22-cap Georgia international who already has stacks of experience including in the Champions League, and would further solidify the Leeds backline.
Jobe Bellingham - loan from Borussia Dortmund - Jobe Bellingham hasn’t enjoyed the same fairytale start to his Borussia Dortmund career as his brother Jude, but even so it’d be a huge move for The Black and Yellow to send him packing after just six months. After completing a £31m move to Signal Iduna Park, Bellingham has failed to nail down a starting spot under Niko Kovac and would certainly improve Leeds’ midfield options - if they can keep his dad away from Daniel Farke and the Elland Road dressing room.
Eivind Helland - £6.25m from Brann - Leeds have put an obvious focus on being physical at the back and while he’s only 20, Helland certainly fits that profile. Standing between 6’4” and 6’5”, Helland is one of the best aerial defenders in the Europa League at a success rate of 86.7% and capable of contributing on the ground too he has already been capped by Norway.
Ibrahim Fullah - £6m from Charlton Athletic - This would be a BOLD move for a relegation-threatened side. Fullah has only made four senior appearances totalling less than 200 minutes, and £6m on a midfielder that experienced is one hell of a gamble even if he has scored two goals in that spell.
Senny Mayulu - loan from Paris Saint-Germain - A potential superstar in midfield, the fact Mayulu’s played 735 since the start of the Club World Cup for a team as talented as PSG speaks volumes and he’s notched three goals in that spell. His top comparisons on FBref.com are Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Tijjani Reijnders, Martin Odegaard and James Maddison, so pretty decent company, and Mayulu’s scoring, creating, passing and dribbling his already prodigious.
Pairing him with Bellingham in midfield would be a major coup for Leeds and it’s not as if he’s lacking defensively either, boasting a tackle success rate of 69%.
Jimmy-Jay Morgan - £2.3m from Chelsea - The Cobham prospect has been performing well for Peterborough United on loan and gets his big break as a reward. Also bring in Todd Cantwell and Azzedine Ounahi on loan from Blackburn Rovers and Girona respectively,
Struijk departure tough pill to swallow
Pascal Struijk - £29.5m to Crystal Palace - This would be a hammerblow for Leeds and it’s hard to see this one coming off in real life, at least in January. But they don’t play Football Manager in reality, as the saying goes.
Lukas Nmecha - £2.5m to Lyon - The German international was the hero from the penalty spot in Leeds’ first game back in the top flight, but he’s goalless since then and only 11 Premier League players have been more wasteful in front of goal since then. Two of that 11 cost over £100m though and Nmecha is ranked level with Alexander Isak at least he’s in good company! Already something of a journeyman aged 26, having played for six clubs Nmecha was only really prolific at Anderlecht where he scored 21 goals in 41 games.
Daniel James - loan to Everton - yet to score or assist this season in 250 minutes, James’ fifth crack at the Premier League appears to be simply reinforcing the notion that this is perhaps just a level too high.
But if there’s one manager who can help him turn around that narrative, it’s Moyes. Lewis Pirie also to Oxford United for £100,000 and Rhys Chadwick and Rory Mahady depart on loan to non-league clubs York and Oldham.
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