In a recent report, The Star stated that Leeds United are facing stiff competition for Reading midfielder John Swift. It has been claimed that the Whites along with Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers are considering bids to acquire the signature of the English talent.
Swift’s Excellent Form At The Madejski Stadium
The 26-year-old has enjoyed a rich vein of form for the Royals during this campaign after producing several eye-catching performances for them in English football. Swift has banged in eight goals and secured seven assists in 17 appearances for Reading this season in various competitions.
The Portsmouth-born sensation has been a breath of fresh air as a key member of Veljko Paunović’s midfield as he is averaging 2.3 shots, 2.8 key passes, 1.5 crosses and 2.0 dribbles per 90 minutes in the EFL Championship. He has even distributed the ball with conviction because he has completed 83.7% of his attempted passes in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).
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Is Swift A Good Choice For The Whites?
Swift is an exciting dribbler with the ball at his feet and can cause a lot of problems for the opposition defenders because of his clever movement and creativity going forward. He has proven himself to be a consistent performer at the Madejski Stadium this season by adding plenty of goals and assists to his game. However, the English sensation needs to work hard on providing more defensive protection for his teammates at the back if he wants to excel as a box-to-box midfielder at the highest level.
Right now, Marcelo Bielsa can use someone of Swift’s skill set as he will undeniably add more goals and assists to his midfield department. Furthermore, the Reading star could go on to form a solid midfield partnership with Kalvin Phillips at Elland Road in the coming seasons.
At 26, Swift is currently playing at the top of his game, so Bielsa can expect him to make an instant impact as long as the player can make a smooth transition to life in top-flight football. At the very least, the English midfield ace will increase competition for places within Leeds United‘s match-day squad which makes him a decent choice for the Yorkshire giants to consider in the not-too-distant future.
