Leeds United have a quick return to Championship action after the international break as they prepare to take on Sheffield United at Elland Road on Friday.
They are the first two teams to play, ahead of the weekend fixtures, and this means that the players who have been away with their nations have even less time to recover for this clash.
Daniel Farke may be sweating on the fitness and availability of his international contingent, including the likes of Junior Firpo, Brenden Aaronson, Mateo Joseph, and Ao Tanaka.
On Tuesday night, Tanaka played 90 minutes for Japan against Australia and must now return to Yorkshire and be ready to start another game, against the Blades, just three days later.
The former Fortuna Dusseldorf star is one of only two senior central midfield options in the squad, alongside Joe Rothwell, after long-term injury blows to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev.
Leeds have been looking into the free agent market to bolster their midfield and had reportedly agreed a deal with defensive midfielder Chiekhou Kouyate earlier this week.
Leeds United pull plug on Chiekhou Kouyate
According to Football Insider, the Whites have decided to pull the plug on a move for the former Nottingham Forest titan after he underwent a medical on Tuesday.
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The report claims that the club’s medical staff did not give the all-clear after his medical this week, which has led the West Yorkshire outfit to move on from their pursuit of the 34-year-old colossus.
Kouyate left Nottingham Forest upon the expiry of his contract at the end of last season and is seemingly not fit enough to make a worthwhile impact for Leeds, hence their decision to move on after they tested him.
Football Insider adds that the Whites will now have to go back into the free agent market to see if there are any suitable alternatives that they can pursue in the coming days.
With this in mind, Farke must look at the available options who are out of contract and bring in another player to compete with Tanaka and Rothwell in the coming months, before Ampadu and Gruev return next year.
One player who could come in as a shrewd addition to the squad is free agent central midfielder Edouard Michut, who Transfermarkt lists as the second most valuable free agent in his position at €2.5m (£2m).
Michut could arrive at Elland Road as a dream alternative signing, to bolster the club’s midfield options, to Kouyate, who has not played much football in recent seasons.
Chiekhou Kouyate's form for Nottingham Forest
After spending four years with West Ham United and four years with Crystal Palace, the vastly-experienced Premier League campaigner made the move to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2022 – following their promotion to the top-flight.
The veteran made 21 Premier League appearances and started ten matches in his first season with Steve Cooper’s side, helping them to avoid relegation straight back down to the Championship.
He completed 76% of his attempted passes and won 61% of his duels in those 21 games, which shows that he offered a dominant physical presence in midfield but was imperfect in possession.
Appearances
12
Pass accuracy
64%
Pass accuracy in own half
82%
Long pass success rate
0%
Opposition half pass success rate
53%
As you can see in the table above, Kouyate then only played in 12 league games last season for the Tricky Trees, as Nuno Espirito Santo came in, and he struggled in possession in the Premier League.
The Senegal international was unreliable on the ball in the middle of the park, as shown by his poor passing statistics, and this suggests that he may not have been suited to playing in a Farke-style team.
Leeds have averaged 59.7% possession per game in the Championship this season, which means that their midfielders see plenty of the ball and are tasked with keeping hold of it and progressing play with their passes.
Therefore, Kouyate, despite his vast experience in England, may not have been the best option with regards to how he would fit into the starting XI in possession.
Whereas, Michut is a technically proficient central midfielder who could slot straight into the midfield stable and offer the qualities that Leeds need in that role.
Why Leeds should sign Edouard Michut
Journalist Josh Bunting once described the Frenchman as a “press resistant” player who would be a “good fit” to play in Farke’s style, when he was linked with a move to Elland Road in 2023.
The midfield star spent the 2023/24 campaign in Turkey with Adana Demirspor and started 20 Super Lig matches, which shows that he has played far more football than Kouyate – who started twice for Forest – has in the last 14 months or so.
Michut showcased his calmness in possession with a pass accuracy of 90% and a pass success rate of 95% inside his own half in the Turkish top-flight last term, which backs up Bunting’s claim that he is press-resistant and suited to the way that Leeds want to play.
He also made 2.1 tackles and interceptions per game and won 56% of his duels in the division, which suggests that he can hold his own off the ball.
The 21-year-old maestro would also come in with experience of English football already after a season-long loan spell with Sunderland in the 2022/23 campaign.
Appearances
24
Starts
12
Pass accuracy
88%
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.1
Duel success rate
55%
As you can see in the table above, the youngster was reliable on the ball and solid defensively as a number eight for the Black Cats as they reached the play-offs under Tony Mowbray that term.
This shows that his form in Turkey last season was not a fluke, as he has also performed at a similar level in the Championship, and that is why he would come in as a dream alternative to Kouyate.
Farke can forget about the Senegal international by swooping for the 21-year-old Frenchman, who would arrive as a player with the potential to improve whilst also offering quality in the short-term – provided he is fit and available to play.
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