Paraag Marathe. (Credit: Imago)
Leeds United have impressed pundits and neutrals alike following their promotion to the Premier League.
Daniel Farke’s men sit four points clear of the drop zone in the league, whilst also being in the semi-final of the FA Cup, in what could potentially shape up to be one of the best seasons in the club’s recent history.
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Naturally, these impressive performances from the likes of Gabriel Gudmundsson and Anton Stach are not unlikely to go unnoticed by other clubs, with Leeds surely having a battle on their hands to keep hold of all of their key players in the summer.
However, a recent report suggests that the 49ers are “confident” of keeping hold of one Leeds player in particular, which is surely a welcome boost for supporters.
Leeds “doing everything in their power” to keep Pascal Struijk
Struijk has been the subject of transfer interest recently, with Premier League trio Newcastle, Aston Villa and Tottenham reportedly expressing their interest in the Dutch defender.
But the latest report from Football Insider suggests that Leeds are “doing everything in their power” to keep Struijk at Elland Road in the summer.
Sources within the club suggest Leeds are “confident” of keeping hold of the defender, but only if they are still a Premier League side come the end of the season.
Naturally, the Whites are said to be “susceptible” to offers for Struijk, who is now valued at just over £19million according to Transfermarkt, should they fall back into the Championship.
The report also goes on to state that Leeds do not plan to lose any of their key assets this summer should they stay up, which will be music to the ears of United fans.
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Data suggests Pascal Struijk was impressive against West Ham
Struijk’s latest performance for Leeds in their chaotic win in the FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham was just another reminder of why the Dutchman is such an integral part of Farke’s side.
Struijk played all 120 minutes against West Ham, with the cup tie ultimately being decided by a penalty shootout, and the data suggests that Struijk had yet another impressive outing against Premier League opposition.
Struijk made 14 defensive contributions during the game
Of the 17 duels he contested against West Ham, he won nine of them
Struijk also scored the winning penalty in the shootout to send Leeds to Wembley (Sofascore)
Alongside Jaka Bijol and Joe Rodon, Struijk could become part of a defence that Leeds do not have to tinker with or upgrade for many years should he choose to stay in West Yorkshire this summer, with the three centre-backs being amongst some of Leeds’ most important players.
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