Leeds United are going to be playing Premier League football next season and will have to use the summer transfer window to build a squad that can compete at the top level.
Daniel Farke can look at what one of his predecessors, Marcelo Bielsa, did in the 2020/21 campaign, when the Whites stayed up in the top-flight and finished in the top half.
The Argentine head coach helped the club to avoid relegation, and set them on their way to avoiding the drop in the 2021/22 season too, and the players he had at his disposal played a key role in that.
Stars like Kalvin Phillips, Patrick Bamford Rodrigo, and Raphinha may have stolen the headlines, but Mateusz Klich went under the radar with a return of four goals and five assists in the Premier League from a midfield position.
Leeds make first offer for midfield target
Leeds are active in the current summer transfer window to bolster their squad and are reportedly eyeing up a deal for a star who could be Farke’s own version of the Poland international.
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According to L’Equipe, the Championship champions have submitted their first offer, worth around £22m, to Strasbourg in an attempt to sign central midfielder Habib Diarra.
The report claims that the French side have not yet responded to the bid, but they are waiting to see if any other teams come in with counter-offers, amid interest from clubs in Germany and England.
Meanwhile, the Yorkshire Evening Post has confirmed that an offer has been made, but adds that other targets in that position are felt to be more likely at this moment in time.
Why Diarra could be Klich 2.0
If Leeds can get a deal over the line for Diarra, then Farke could have his own version of Klich in the Premier League next season, because he is a well-rounded midfield star who can impact games in and out of possession.
The 21-year-old talent, who talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed will have a “huge future” in the game, played regularly in Ligue 1 for Strasbourg in the 2024/25 campaign and caught the eye with his displays in the middle of the park.
Diarra played 29 Ligue 1 games or more in each of the last three seasons, which shows that he has plenty of top-flight experience in a major European league, and this term was his best so far from a performance point of view.
Appearances
30
35
Goals
4
4
Big chances created
9
3
Assists
5
5
Dribbled past per game
0.4x
1.3x
Tackles + interceptions per game
1.1
1.4
Duels won per game
3.3
2.4
As you can see in the table above, his performances in Ligue 1 this season were incredibly similar to Klich’s in the Premier League when Leeds avoided the drop in the 2020/21 campaign.
These statistics show that Diarra could emulate his impact at the top end of the pitch by delivering a respectable number of goals and assists from a box-to-box midfield position, whilst potentially being even more creative when you look at the ‘big chances’ that he created.
The chart above further illustrates the similarities between the two players, particularly when it comes to scoring and creating goals, which suggests that he could be a very similar player to Klich for Farke.
Diarra’s ability to combine defensive work, as he is rarely dribbled past, with his attacking output suggests that he could be a very valuable player for the German boss in the Premier League, as he could impact games at both ends of the pitch.
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However, the Yorkshire Evening Post did report that other midfield targets are more likely, so it remains to be seen whether or not the Whites will be able to get a deal over the line for this star.
