Leeds: £9m gem could be Farke’s own Gundogan

The Whites could be set to secure their very own Ilkay Gundogan by signing this midfield maestro.

Leeds United could be set to secure a fine coup, opting for a Championship-proven star to spearhead their return to the Premier League… Ilkay Gundogan closing in on move to Barcelona this summer | OneFootball

Who else will Leeds United be signing this summer?

Having already welcomed four new faces to Elland Road, it could be easy to assume that this window has been a successful one thus far for Daniel Farke.

However, that has been far from the case. With players refusing to show up for matches, and others forcing loan exits to avoid the mess they created, the atmosphere in Yorkshire is far from ideal for the new German manager.

Read The Latest Leeds Transfer News HERE…

That being said, some positivity does remain, with TEAMtalk now offering a beacon of hope by referencing them as one of the interested parties looking at Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill.

They are said to be very keen on the 27-year-old gem, who FootballTransfers value at €10.9m (£9m). However, they will have to battle with a host of top-flight clubs to secure his signature.

How good is Josh Brownhill?

Having spent the last few years of his career at Turf Moor, it feels like only recently has the midfield general began realising his potential after spells at Preston North End and Bristol City

After all, last season did mark a standout one for the one-time Manchester United academy graduate, who shone by showcasing his improved creativity.

Clarets boss Vincent Kompany is the man responsible for such an upturn, as he was thanked by the midfielder:

“He’s liberated us, because he believes in us, he believes we’re good players and we can win games. The lads who are still here were devastated by relegation last season. We just wanted to get back up and I’m very happy we did.”

A key cog in that promotion push, already that pedigree will have caught Farke’s eye, as he seeks to replicate that form.

Should Brownhill join and translate his form from Lancashire to west Yorkshire and they will certainly be in a fine position to do so.

After all, the Warrington-born machine did score seven times in the Championship during the 2022/23 campaign alongside a further eight assists. This helped him earn his 7.27 average rating as he also added 1.8 key passes and 2.2 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

Sky Sports’ EFL pundit Lee Hendrie had predicted such a starring year as he claimed back in 2021:

“Josh Brownhill, I think he is a fabulous player, I really do. Out of [Sander] Berge and him, I’d take Brownhill all day just because Josh Brownhill reminds me of John McGinn.

“He’s very energetic, he’s very neat and tidy on the ball, he gets up and down the pitch well and you know what you’re getting when you’re getting a player from Burnley, Sean Dyche, what he expects.”

Such offensive impetus from deep could easily draw comparisons with Ilkay Gundogan, who too earned praise for how his scoring numbers improved to help Manchester City claim a historic treble.

Whilst the German has already made his switch to Barcelona, he left the Etihad a hero, having posted 18 goal contributions across all competitions.

Then, to compare his underlying figures with Brownhill’s, it is clear to see the similarities. He too posted a 7.13 average rating in the Premier League, buoyed by 1.3 key passes and one tackle per game, via Sofascore.

City boss Pep Guardiola led the praise for his midfielder and captain, noting:

“Ilkay shows again, again and again his quality and his importance. His commitment to all of us at the club. It’s not just scoring goals, he has his momentum because against Leeds, he was the player and again here. He can do everything.”

Whilst he starred on a far larger stage, Brownhill shares enough of those starring attributes to suggest he could emulate his figures once again under Farke and help spearhead another promotion charge.

Leeds: Farke could emulate Orta’s Firpo disaster

The Whites could emulate one of Victor Orta’s biggest disasters.

Leeds looked at signing a young player from Barcelona at the start of the window.
Should they revisit a move, it would evoke memories of Junior Firpo.
Daniel Farke must stay clear as a result.

Leeds United need additional recruits, and they need them fast. However, they should not sacrifice speed and quantity over the quality of their potential new signings…

Who are Leeds United signing this summer?

As such, the main goal will to be avoid the expensive mistakes of the past that have led to their miserable relegation. There is a reason why many frustrations surround the tenure of Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta.

High-profile signings with clearly little thought process behind them saw the pair often pick a bigger name over a more intelligent acquisition, and it left them in the lurch with a squad unsuitably bolstered.

Read The Latest Leeds Transfer News HERE…

Few embody such a failure more than Junior Firpo, who joined from Barcelona in 2021 and has failed to live up to his reputation.

This should mark a cautionary tale for the new ownership and Daniel Farke, and yet reports from earlier in the window did link them with another star from Camp Nou, Abde Ezzalzouli.

Whilst there is every chance the young star would thrive at Elland Road, there is far from enough form to suggest that it would be worth the gamble if they still indeed retain their interest a few months on.

Who is Abde Ezzalzouli?

Having only enjoyed brief stints of senior football, the 21-year-old wide man has shone at times during his short career thus far, earning himself a switch to the Catalan giants.

Whilst that is often a mark of a true talent, there have been plenty of failures to join La Masia and not make it to the top.

However, there is reason to believe that the 5 foot 11 youngster could do, with pace and trickery in abundance. Especially given he added to this four goals and two assists in La Liga last term whilst on loan at Osasuna.