Leeds: Taylor Harwood-Bellis could replace Koch
The Whites are in the market to add another central defender to their squad this summer.
An update has emerged on Leeds United and their plans to add to their squad before the end of the summer transfer window…
What’s the latest Leeds United transfer news?
According to Football Insider, Whites boss Daniel Farke is keen to strengthen his defensive options before the deadline passes and has identified Manchester City centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis as a big target.
The report claims that the west Yorkshire outfit will attempt to ‘lure’ the England U21 international to Elland Road after his impressive season on loan with Burnley last term.
It states that bringing in a new central defender is a ‘huge priority’ for the club and Liverpool’s Nat Phillips, who won promotion with Bournemouth in 2022, has also been named as an option heading into the final few weeks of the window.
LeedsLive recently claimed that City are looking for a fee in the region of £15m for the talented youngster but could agree to a loan deal if no club is willing to reach that figure, as it remains to be seen how much Leeds would be prepared to spend on him.
How good is Taylor Harwood-Bellis?
The 21-year-old colossus is a proven Championship performer who has the quality to slot straight into Farke’s team as a dream replacement for Robin Koch, who has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.
Following the club’s relegation from the Premier League, the German centre-back moved on to the Bundesliga – this came after 36 top-flight starts for Leeds last season, which is why the Yorkshire-based outfit need to find a replacement for him.
Vincent Kompany’s Burnley won the second division title in style last term as they finished on 101 points and only lost three of their 46 matches.
Harwood-Bellis played a crucial role in their success.
He was one of the top performers at that level as he averaged an exceptional Sofascore rating of 7.21 across 32 appearances, which was the second-highest score within the Clarets squad and the seventh-highest rating throughout the entire league.
Despite his young age, the Leeds target showcased his dominant play at the back with a duel success rate of 63%. This shows that the 6 foot 2 tank does not get bullied by opposition attackers, which was also the case for Koch as he won 57% of his battles for the Whites last term.
He also averaged an excellent Sofascore rating of 7.26 over five European Championship matches for England’s U21 side this summer as the towering titan helped his country to win the tournament without conceding a single goal.
Meanwhile, no Leeds player averaged a Sofascore rating higher than 7.00 in the top-flight during the 2022/23 campaign and the Man City youngster could be a sensational performer for Farke.
These statistics show that the English ace, who Kompany hailed as having an “outstanding” attitude, has been in terrific form for club and country over the last 12 months and would arrive at Elland Road full of confidence and ready to make an immediate impact on the pitch for Farke.
Therefore, Harwood-Bellis could be a fantastic replacement for Koch, who averaged a Premier League Sofascore rating of 6.63 last season, and Leeds must work hard to land his signature before the window slams shut.
