According to Daily Mirror, Leeds United are eyeing a move for Michael Cuisance. The Bayern Munich midfielder has been identified as the latest target for Marcelo Bielsa as he continues his squad overhaul. Leeds United are even willing to offer Cuisance a five-year deal at Elland Road, although the Bavarians are holding out for a fee of £18 million.
Who Is Michael Cuisance?
Cuisance is regarded as one of the rising stars in French football, following his initial breakthrough at Borussia Monchengladbach. He moved to Bayern Munich last summer, for a fee of £10.8 million. But he has struggled since then failing to break into the club’s starting lineup.
That is, however, not to say that the Frenchman doesn’t have what it takes to become a star. In fact, Cuisance is highly rated for his sublime technical quality on the ball.
Indeed, the 21-year-old is an excellent ball-carrier. He can work around half-spaces while being able to distribute possession all around the park. It makes him quite similar to Liverpool’s new signing Thiago Alcantara.
More importantly, the ex-Gladbach starlet is an aggressive midfielder. He is never afraid to press the opposition and win the ball back for his team. Although the midfielder still needs to work on his temperament, he certainly makes up for it with his technical prowess and intelligence.
Is Cuisance A Good Fit For Leeds United?
From a tactical perspective, Cuisance is a tailor-made fit for Marcelo Bielsa’s footballing ethos. He has the aggression, as well as the skill to emerge as the ideal component in that attacking midfield slot of the Argentine’s preferred 4-1-4-1 formation.
The Frenchman can, in fact, emerge as a potential long-term replacement for someone like Pablo Hernandez. Also, he can be deployed in a deeper midfield role with the player having much better defensive traits when compared to his Spanish counterpart.
However, there are many things to consider here.
Cuisance has played very little football over the past 12 months. He has often been omitted from Hansi Flick’s first-team plans and has only recently gained significance because of the departure of Thiago that has created a massive void in the club’s midfield department.
Such lack of action raises question marks as to whether or not he will be able to settle into the fast-paced nature of the Premier League. But on a more important role, an asking price of £18 million makes him quite an expensive option for Leeds United.
The Whites, at the moment, require someone who can make an immediate impact as the club looks to stay up in the Premier League this season. Hence, it would perhaps be wiser from Bielsa’s part to shift his attention towards more proven individuals as we head towards the final phase of the summer transfer window.
