Leeds United still have plenty of football left to play between now and the end of the season in their pursuit of automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking.
The Whites failed to finish in the top two in the 2023/24 campaign, finishing third in the table, and ultimately lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley back in May.
Daniel Farke and his men will be hoping to avoid a repeat of that failure by finishing first or second in the Championship this time around, and they are on course to do so.
A thumping 4-0 win over Oxford United at Elland Road on Saturday ensured that they remain second in the table, three points behind Sheffield United, heading into Christmas Day.
The January transfer window is right around the corner, though, and the Whites could look to strengthen their chances of achieving automatic promotion by dipping into the market to bolster their options across the park.
One area of the pitch that could be addressed is central midfield, and a player Farke previously wanted at Elland Road in that position was Norwich City star Kenny McLean.
Leeds United's bid to sign Kenny McLean
In the summer of 2023, shortly after the German’s arrival in West Yorkshire, Leeds were interested in a deal to sign the Scotland international from the Canaries.
It was reported that the Whites had an offer of £4m rejected by Norwich for the former Aberdeen star, who later put pen to paper on a new contract at Carrow Road.
He would have arrived as someone Farke trusted as he was a regular for the German head coach in two Championship title-winning seasons, in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 campaigns, with McLean playing 114 games in all competitions for him during their time together.
The Whites would have been signing an experienced midfielder who knows exactly what it takes to get automatically promoted from the second tier, having done it twice with the Leeds boss in Norfolk.
After the West Yorkshire outfit failed to get a deal over the line for McLean, the Scotland international then played a key role in the Canaries reaching the play-off semi-final clash with Leeds.
Starts
46
Big chances created
7
Pass accuracy
84%
Tackles + interceptions per game
3.2
Duel success rate
59%
As you can see in the table above, the 32-year-old star started all 46 of their league matches and offered quality as a box-to-box midfielder, with his contributions at both ends of the pitch.
McLean is a dynamic midfielder who can provide quality in possession, with his creative passing, whilst also being able to hold his own defensively, winning the majority of his physical contests in the Championship.
Instead of going back in for the experienced ace, Farke could find his new version of McLean in the January window by swooping for one of the club’s reported transfer targets.
Leeds United's interest in English midfielder
Back in November, The Sun revealed that Leeds are one of the clubs interested in a deal to sign Nottingham Forest central midfielder Lewis O’Brien, who is currently on loan with LAFC in the MLS.
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The report claimed that LAFC have an option to make the deal permanent for £7m when the January transfer window opens for business, but there are English teams who would like to compete with them to sign him.
It stated that Leeds and Hull have both made enquiries about a potential swoop for the former Huddersfield Town star, who is settled in America and would like to stay there long-term.
Football Insider added that the Whites have been long-term admirers of O’Brien and that Marcelo Bielsa once wanted to bring him to Elland Road, and came close to doing so.
The report added that Nottingham Forest have deemed him surplus to requirements, hence the £7m option to buy in his LAFC loan contract, and he is set to be available in the January transfer window.
It is down to Leeds, however, to convince O’Brien that a move to Elland Road ahead of the second half of the season is a better option than remaining in the MLS with his loan club.
Why Leeds should sign Lewis O'Brien
The Whites should try to sign the left-footed midfielder because he could come in as Farke’s new version of McLean in the middle of the park, as an experienced and dynamic number eight who can provide quality in and out of possession.
As per FBref, McLean is one of the most similar players to O’Brien in the Men’s Next 14 Competitions (outside of the major five leagues and European competitions) over the last 365 days, based on their respective statistics.
As you can see in the chart above, the two central midfielders rank incredibly similarly in a host of actions, defensively and offensively, per 90 for LAFC and Norwich respectively.
They are both progressive players who want to get the ball forward to find their teammates in dangerous positions. McLean has averaged 5.78 progressive passes per 90, whilst O’Brien has averaged 6.11 per 90 in the MLS – ranking in the top 25% of his positional peers in he Men’s Next 14 Competitions.
Appearances
13
Key passes per game
1.8
Pass accuracy
88%
Tackles + interceptions per game
3.3
Ball recoveries per game
5.6
As you can see in the table above, the £7m-rated star can also offer a defensive presence in the middle of the park, with 8.9 tackles, interceptions, and recoveries per game in the MLS this year.
The 26-year-old dynamo, who was described as “very special” by ex-Leeds coach Carlos Corberan, could come in to provide Farke with another left-footed option in that position, as the injured Ilia Gruev is his only left-footed midfielder at this moment in time.
With Joe Rothwell’s loan expiring at the end of the season, O’Brien could also be a longer-term solution for the club, which is why he could be an excellent addition to the squad.
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