Given the nature of Leeds United’s gameplan under Daniel Farke, midfielders capable of stopping counter-attacks will always come in useful.
Leeds tend to push their full-backs high up the pitch, often leaving their backline exposed to rapid-fire transitions.
As such, the pressure on the likes of Ethan Ampadu or Ao Tanaka to stop the opposition cutting through Farke’s backline is often pretty substantial. Farke was not happy with Tanaka after Leeds’ draw with Blackburn Rovers on New Years Day, the Japan international arguably guilty of switching off in the build up to the corner from which Danny Batth bundled in a stoppage time equaliser.
Would Leeds United have conceded in the same circumstances with Dario Essugo on the pitch?
That, of course, is purely hypothetical.
Yet, as Leeds reportedly look to sign the Sporting Lisbon starlet on a £6 million loan-to-buy deal this month, Essugo’s numbers speak for themselves.
Leeds United target Dario Essugo has very impressive statistics
Currently on loan at La Liga outfit Las Palmas, Essugo ranks as the second-best Under-23 player in the whole of Europe’s major leagues when it comes to ‘ball recoveries’.
The 19-year-old averages 2.4 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game over in Spain. And while a tally of four yellow cards from 12 starts shows that his timing could do with some work, Essugo does feel like a pretty tailor-made addition for a Leeds side who would benefit from the inclusion of an aggressive, ground-covering, ball-winning central midfielder.
Luis Dias, a technical consultant for the Portuguese Football Federation, could not speak higher of Essugo when quizzed on the teenager by Spanish publication Marca recently.
The Sporting academy graduate, he says, stands out not only for his physicality but also his maturity on the pitch.
“[Essugo impressed me because of his] physical condition, but above all his calmness and personality with the ball,” Dias says. “He always caught our attention. But the step from 15 to 16 years was a huge explosion.
“He jumped three categories [in the youth team].”
Essugo would bring ‘strength and tackling’ to Elland Roaad
The Breaking the Lines website argue that Essugo has the attributes to ‘take him to the very top of the game in his position’.
“His profile falls under the defensive playmaker role, which specialises in being defensively secure and sound in his distribution of the ball,” they write.
“What stands out most when watching Dario are his physical qualities – as he is very well balanced, has good pace and the flair to power past opponents with the ball.
“Dario has personally improved his defensive positioning, with his strength and tackling being among his best attributes, each week looking more like a complete midfielder who can link up play more efficiently along with his sharpened ability on the ball.”
Of course, for Leeds to do a deal this month requires a few dominoes to fall in their favour.
Leeds would need to convince Sporting to terminate Essugo’s Las Palmas deal in order to send him to England instead. Furthermore, with a £37 million release clause in his contract, it remains to be seen if £6 million will be enough for the Portuguese champions to cash in.
Farke, meanwhile, admits that despite links with a host of reported transfer targets, Leeds are expecting a rather quiet window with a number of key players – including Junior Firpo and Illia Gruev – set to return from injury soon.
“Several of the long term injured players are back,” Farke tells a press conference on Thursday. “Firpo is back. Illia looks good in training. Options are good to have but, if you have too many and the group is too big, it can divide the group.
“We have a perfect unity and this is why we are the team that has won more points, we don’t want to risk that spirit in the group.
“That spirit is more important in the crunch time and as things stand we are the best team in the league at the top. If there is a new injury we will change our plans, but at the moment we expect a quiet January.”
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