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Leeds United are finally back in the Premier League after a 16-year absence and the Yorkshire squad are doing their best to ensure they stay there.
Marcelo Bielsa has already added Valencia forward Rodrigo to his ranks for a club record fee of £ 29 million, as well as German midfielder Robin Koch for £ 13.5 million from Bundesliga team Freiburg.
But Leeds’s summer of transfer fun hasn’t ended there. Next on the list of targets appears to be Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, with whom soccer director Victor Orta has already agreed personal terms.
The 26-year-old has turned heads during his four years in Italy, and in case you don’t know much about him, here’s why the whites want to bring him to Elland Road.
The central midfielder has scored 25 goals and provided 25 assists in just 146 games for Udinese, meaning he has contributed to a goal in just over a third of his games for the Italian side. He created several of these opportunities through exceptional set pieces after becoming Udinese’s leading corner kick and free-kick taker.
De Paul also has excellent dribbling skills and exploits them to great effect. He likes to shift to the right side of the field before cutting in with his stronger left foot and unleashing a long-range blow to goal, similar to how Arjen Robben made a name for himself. It may be a simple tactic, but it is effective for De Paul, as the midfielder scored four goals from outside the area in 2018/19, more than anyone else in Serie A.
Udinese have a reputation for developing exciting South American talents before selling them for healthy profits. De Paul would join an illustrious roster, including the likes of Alexis Sánchez and Juan Cuadrado, if he makes the leap to Elland Road.
Most of Udinese’s preparation game currently goes through De Paul. It often doesn’t matter if they try to pass through the center or the right, as although he plays primarily center-back, the Argentine international tends to drift across the field, helping in transitions.
De Paul often ends up occupying the middle spaces on either side of the field, as well as joining in the center. He provides runs using his speed, another useful asset the South American possesses. He also has a tendency to change the game, using his passing range when playing long, well-measured balls to avoid the press and throw the ball forward.
All these skills and attributes make it clear why Bielsa has identified the midfielder as the man he wants to join his Leeds revolution and it should mean that De Paul fits into the former Athletic Club manager’s setup without too much trouble.
It’s not often that a newly promoted team can attract a player with both Champions League and international experience, but Leeds clearly still possess significant drawing power, especially with Bielsa at the helm.
De Paul has played 17 times for Argentina since his debut in 2018 and has become a staple of La Albiceleste’s midfield. He has also appeared twice in the Champions League with Valencia, albeit in the 2015/16 season, and was on the wrong side of consecutive 2-0 scores with the Spanish giants.
These experiences do not guarantee a smooth transition into the fast-paced nature of the Premier League, but they will certainly help.
Like most offensive-style players in the southern hemisphere, De Paul’s strengths largely lie with the ball going forward rather than when he has to defend without it.
Although the Argentine is skilled at crafting fouls and is very effective on the counter, helping his team come out on the defensive when high up the field, he is less helpful when it comes to his defensive awareness in and around his area.
De Paul made just 1.8 tackles per 90 throughout 2019/20 compared to Kalvin Phillips’ 2.6 challenges. The young English midfielder may be more vulnerable with Udinese ahead in the Premier League and it is a problem that Bielsa must address upon arrival, especially when the championship champions face the traditional big six.
