The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Thursday 15th January) Leeds reignite interest in Willock
Good Morning. It's Thursday 15th January, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Leeds reignite interest in Willock
Leeds United look set to address one of the few holes in their midfield by reigniting interest in Newcastle United’s 26-year-old box-to-box dynamo, Joe Willock. Once a fan favourite for his relentless engine and forward thrusts from deep, Willock’s influence has dipped this season as teams increasingly sit back in low blocks, nullifying his best traits. With just two starts among 11 Premier League appearances, and only 18 months left on his Magpies contract, he’s become surplus to requirements under Eddie Howe.
Last summer, the Whites nearly landed Willock before shifting focus to his former Newcastle teammate Sean Longstaff, a move that has paid dividends at Elland Road. Now, Leeds could repeat that blueprint, offering Willock regular game time in a system that values surging midfield runners. Daniel Farke has nurtured a squad that’s currently eight points clear of the drop zone and only one loss in their last eight, but as the season progresses, injuries are piling up too.
From Newcastle’s perspective, selling Willock would free up funds, perhaps for promising Dutch prospect Kees Smit, and trim a bloated midfield. For Leeds, snapping up a player who knows the rigours of Premier League survival could be a masterstroke. If all parties align, a mid-season move could see Willock back to doing what he does best: driving a team forward from the heart of midfield.
Harrison exit could open the door for creative influence
Jack Harrison’s season-long loan move to Fiorentina, complete with an £8.6 million purchase option, has done more than simply trim Leeds United’s wage bill, it has signalled a tactical rethink in attack. With Harrison’s £90,000-a-week salary now shared by Fiorentina and two and a half years still remaining on his Elland Road contract, Daniel Farke's men have both the financial wiggle room and the positional vacancy to explore fresh options. Enter Rubén Vargas, the Swiss international plying his trade at Sevilla FC, who ticks plenty of boxes for a club keen to blend pace and creativity.
Sevilla, under pressure to generate roughly €10 million in profit before their accounting deadline, are open to negotiations, and Vargas’s profile makes him an appealing candidate. Blessed with explosive acceleration, a low centre of gravity and a knack for slaloming past markers, Vargas has already impressed on the European stage. His off-the-ball intelligence, characterised by diagonal runs behind defensive lines and timely drops between the lines, could offer Leeds a new dimension in attack, especially when combined with the high-press and quick transitional game Farke favours.
Beyond his tactical attributes, Vargas’s friendship with fellow Swiss winger Noah Okafor, already at Leeds, could ease his assimilation both on and off the pitch. That existing camaraderie may help him hit the ground running, reducing the usual bedding-in period at a club as demanding as Leeds. While Harrison’s departure is far from permanent, it firmly opens the door for Farke to add a creative No10 to his squad, giving him options he currently doesn't have.