Having led Leeds United to a mightily impressive third-place finish in the Championship earlier this month, Marcelo Bielsa will be looking to go one step better next season.
With the Argentine’s Whites displaying a fantastic brand of football throughout the 2018/19 campaign, there will undoubtedly be a queue of players who will be interested in moving to Elland Road this summer.
Yet before he can focus on adding some new additions to his squad in the upcoming transfer window, Bielsa must first sort out the futures of some of his want-away stars.
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds forward Caleb Ekuban is reportedly close to joining Trabzonspor on a permanent deal after impressing whilst on loan with the Turkish side last season.
If this is indeed true, the Whites must weigh up the positives and negatives before selling the forward as the last thing that they want is to make a costly mistake.
Keeping this rumour in mind, let’s compare Ekuban with another Leeds player who has been linked with a moved away from the club…
CALEB EKUBAN
When Caleb Ekuban arrived in West Yorkshire two years ago, it is fair to say that expectations were high amongst the majority of the club’s supporters for him to fire in the goals in the Championship.
However, from the very outset, it was glaringly apparent that the Ghanaian was not consistent enough to perform at this particular level as he struggled to cope with the pace and the power of the English game.
Whereas he did show glimmers of his talent during the 2017/18 campaign, it was not at all surprising when Bielsa loaned him out to Trabzonspor last summer.
During his time in Turkey, Ekuban enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence as he was directly involved in seven goals in the Super Lig as his side finished fourth in the standings.
Yet even though he has made a marked improvement to his game since leaving Leeds, they should steer clear of bringing him back next season as in the form of Patrick Bamford and Kemar Roofe, they already have better-attacking options.
TT GRADE: C
PAWEL CIBICKI
After joining Leeds from Swedish side Malmo in 2017, it seemed as if Pawel Cibicki had all the ingredients needed to thrive in the Championship.
A superb passer of the ball who also has an eye for goal, the forward promised so much yet ultimately delivered so little for the Whites.
In an immensely frustrating 2017/18 campaign, Cibicki only featured on 10 occasions in all competitions as he struggled to compete with the likes of Kemar Roofe and Pierre-Michel Lasogga for the position.
Loaned out to IF Elfsborg in January, the £900k-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) has demonstrated positive signs which suggest that Leeds should consider giving him another chance next season.
However, with the Yorkshire Evening Post reporting that the Allsvenskan side are interested in signing Cibicki on a permanent deal, the Whites must act fast if they are to convince him to stay at Elland Road.
TT GRADE: C+
TT VERDICT
Despite both players being linked with moves away from Leeds, it is clear that if they are to keep one of them at the club, it simply has to be Pawel Cibicki.
Whereas Caleb Ekuban has proved that he is incapable of leading the line for the Whites, his team-mate arguably deserves another shot at success as he clearly has the talent to make a name for himself in the Championship over the coming years.
Leeds fans, should Bielsa give Cibicki another chance to impress next season? Join the discussion by commenting below.
