According to the latest reports from Birmingham Mail, Everton winger Yannick Bolasie is on Leeds United’s radar if they win back promotion to the Premier League. The winger is currently on loan with Belgian outfit Anderlecht. The 29-year-old had spent the first half of the season on loan with Aston Villa.
Bolasie was regular for Villa as he made 21 appearances for them before jumping ship in January. The left winger had managed two goals and five assists for the English outfit. Now he has been tearing apart the Belgian league as he has four goals and one assist to his name in seven games.
Leeds United were desperately after Daniel James of Swansea City in January, but the move didn’t materialise in the end. The Whites don’t have many options down the left flank, and it is understandable why they are looking at someone like Bolaise to bolster their squad.
The 29-year-old has the experience of playing in over 100 games in the Premier League. When on a song, the Congolese can be hard to stop. His close control and dribbling skills make him a delight to watch and coupled with searing pace; not many defenders can match up to him in one on one situation.
However, Bolasie hasn’t been able to do justice to his true potential. Given his ability, he should be regularly playing in the Premier League at this stage, but that isn’t the case. Maybe someone like Bielsa can bring the best out of him. In such a scenario, Leeds United might be able to get the most out of his abilities.
His contract with the Merseyside club is until 2021 and we feel that Everton might demand a decent enough fee for him which could be somewhere in the region of £10m. At 29, that might look a bit too much, but Bolasie has the potential to be a match-winner on his day.
The Whites don’t have much depth in the left wing spot as Jack Harrison is going to return to his parent club Manchester City and Ezgjan Alioski has looked better in a fullback role. Jack Clarke can play down the left but depending on the 18-year-old in the Premier League would be too much to ask for from the youngster. Therefore the club is likely to dive in the market to bring in wingers. Bolasie can be a decent bet but the signing can also go bust if the player isn’t committed enough to perform week in week out. All in all, this could be a risk worth taking for Bielsa.
