Latest reports from Spanish media outlet Pucela Fichajes indicates that Leeds United are going to target Real Valladolid’s central midfielder, Ruben Alcaraz. The La Liga outfit currently occupies the 14th spot in the table and Alcaraz is a regular for them in the middle of the park. The 27-year-old had spent his u-17 days playing for Barcelona’s academy and later he moved on from there in search of greener pastures.
Alcaraz has often played in various positions throughout his career and has filled in as a centre-back as well as a full back. This season is apparently his first in the Spanish top flight as he was previously part of teams who used to ply their trade in La Liga 2.
The midfielder was signed in the summer of 2018 and the reports add that Valladolid are not looking to negotiate any deal for their midfielder. However, they would not mind if the Whites go on to trigger Alcaraz’s release clause which is set at £10.5m. Therefore the Spanish midfielder is not likely to come in cheap, and it remains to be seen whether the Whites would shell out such an amount for him.
Leeds United currently occupy the top spot in the Championship even though they have been brought down by various injuries. The injuries are a testament to how good they have been even when certain important players have been missing. However, there is a definite slump in their performance as now they have lost 3 out of their last 4 Championship games.
The central midfield position is usually occupied by Mateusz Klich who has played constantly throughout the season without much of a breather. The squad is so thin that Bielsa doesn’t have any room to manoeuvre and he had to use right winger Pablo Hernandez in central areas after they sold Samuel Saiz in the ongoing window. Therefore one can make out from that on how stretched the squad is currently.
Bielsa has often maintained that he would like to sign players only if they improve the overall quality of the squad and Alcaraz isn’t making a big case for us. His signing especially doesn’t make sense if the Whites have to shell out over £10 million to get him.
Under Radrizzani, United have often looked for shrewd and cheap signings and when they have spent top dollars, they made sure that they are getting proven quality. (Case in point Patrick Bamford for £7m who is former Championship player of the season). Alcaraz is still finding his feet in the La Liga and there is no guarantee that he would thrive in the Championship straight away. Therefore the club should stay away from making this costly mistake.
