Leeds United supporters in the Transfer Tavern are very much looking forward to the new era at Elland Road following the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa as the club’s new manager earlier this month.
The former Argentina and Chile manager replaces Paul Heckingbottom in the Whites hotseat after he was relieved of his duties last month, having overseen just four victories in his 16 matches in charge. Yet there is huge optimism among our resident Leeds supporters following the hugely ambitious capture of 62-year-old Bielsa, who is extremely highly rated and as such the man they hope can finally take their club back to the Premier League.
As such, there are many excited and expectant Leeds fans in the Tavern at present, several of whom are likely to be interested by recent reports linking Jack Wilshere with a move to Everton.
And if the former Arsenal ace does indeed make the move to Goodison Park, Leeds must seek to move for £7.2 million-rated Toffees star James McCarthy (as per Transfermarkt), who is likely to suffer from the Englishman’s possible arrival.
Ultimately, the 27-year-old saw his 2017/18 campaign decimated by injury, firstly a knee problem and then a hamstring issue, before suffering a horrific broken leg in their 1-1 draw with West Brom back on January 20.
The Republic of Ireland international ended the season with just four Premier League appearances to his name, and while much of that can of course be put down to injury, it remains to be seen where he is in the pecking order when fully fit.
Clearly, Idrissa Gueye is the best central midfielder at the football club, and with Morgan Schneiderlin finishing the campaign reasonably well and Tom Davies performing solidly over the course of the season, it’s unclear whether McCarthy would indeed command regular football this term.
Add Wilshere into the mix, the second most talked about player on the Transfer Hound, and the 27-year-old’s chances of first team action would be seriously dented. And that is why Leeds must seek to make a move this summer.
The Irishman may well have struggled with injury in recent times but he has over 200 Premier League appearances to his name from spells at Wigan Athletic and of course Everton – thus, he is a seasoned top-flight performer capable of bringing genuine quality to the Leeds midfield ranks.
And with Leeds having fallen away again last season, the second in succession in which they have got themselves into promotion contention only to slip down the division, it’s clear that depth is needed in several areas of the squad to deal with the demands of a long, hard slog that is a Championship season.
McCarthy would no doubt provide that alongside vast amounts of experience and bags of quality, which is why the Yorkshire giants must seek to land the 27-year-old if Everton bring Wilshere to Goodison Park.
Leeds fans… what do you think? Let us know!
