Just as things finally started to heat up for Leeds United in the transfer window, the impending signing of Sean Longstaff was suddenly cast into doubt.
Leeds United have had a decent transfer window so far, following Daniel Farke’s well-thought-out strategy of recruiting experienced and quality players on the cheap.
Lukas Nmecha, Jaka Bigol, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Gabriel Gudmundsson have all arrived and only £30.4m has been spent so far. Sunderland spent that on Habib Diarra alone.
However, as the new Premier League season gets closer every day, Leeds still have a lot of work to do with a striker, goalkeeper, left winger, another full-back and at least two midfielders all needed.
It appeared that Leeds were set to tick one of those off the list this week with the signing of Sean Longstaff from Newcastle United.
It had been widely reported that a £12m deal for Longstaff had been agreed, before it emerged on Thursday night that, in fact, Newcastle had rejected the offer.
Now, Leeds are reportedly considering their options and, if so, they should be strongly considering James McAtee.
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Leeds United should turn to James McAtee after Sean Longstaff blow
Buying Longstaff for £10m, with £12m in add-ons, would have been good business for Leeds.
He’s another flexible, hard-working player with over 170 games in the Premier League. He ticks all the boxes Farke is looking for as he gets his squad ready for the top flight.
However, despite high praise from Sandro Tonali, Longstaff is a limited midfielder who has seen his game time slashed by Eddie Howe after being significantly upgraded upon.
When you start increasing the price, the deal starts to look less appealing.
Instead of meeting whatever fee Newcastle actually want for a back-up defensive midfielder, they should invest it elsewhere.
Hoffenheim’s Anton Stach remains a target but Leeds desperately need to upgrade on their attacking midfield, with Brenden Aaronson proving he isn’t good enough in the Championship.
Let alone the Premier League.
Leeds have been linked with McAtee for months and there isn’t a better time for them to make a move.
Fabrizio Romano reported on July 9 that McAtee can leave City for £20m-£25m in the transfer window.
Though McAtee struggled for minutes at the Etihad last season, he still showed flashes of his quality and proved during his time at Sheffield United that he can operate at the highest level.
The Blades may have gone down in flames, but McAtee still got six goal contributions in a dreadful side.
The 22-year-old might go against the profile Farke is looking for given his slight build and tender age, but he could be the creative spark that keeps Leeds up.
Competition for McAtee’s signature will be fierce, though, with Premier League rivals and clubs in Italy, Germany and Spain all said to be interested. Leeds will have to move quickly if they want him.
Spending £25m on McAtee is a much smarter investment than £15m-£20m on Longstaff.
Pep Guardiola praise for James McAtee
Though he tended not to pick him despite his side’s awful failings and repeated struggles last season, Pep Guardiola has been full of praise for McAtee in the past.
Speaking after McAtee scored a hat-trick against Salford City in the FA Cup last season, Guardiola described him as ‘special’.
He said: “I am so happy for him, he is a special player. A hat trick is not easy.
“He has an incredible sense in front of goal, he has the right tempo, he changed the rhythm to score and I am very happy for him.”
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