According to The Athletic, as cited by Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United have turned down the chance to sign Harry Winks. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was offered to the Yorkshire outfit in these remaining days of the transfer window, although Marcelo Bielsa is not too interested in securing his services despite failing to add any new faces to the midfield unit so far this summer.
What Is Harry Winks All About?
Harry Winks is among the few homegrown talents at Tottenham Hotspur, who has been on the scene for many years now. He had initially made his breakthrough back in the 2016/17 campaign, particularly with his performances in Europe.
Since then, the midfielder has gone on to make a total of 176 competitive appearances for the club. But he has never managed to establish himself as one of Spurs’ key players, often acting as either a back-up or alternative for any first-team starter.
Nevertheless, Winks is still highly rated due to his passing ability. His style of play usually revolves around the distribution of possession, with the Englishman primarily being an anchorman like Axel Witsel.
Winks is a central midfielder by trade, so he is a bit more attacking than the Belgian. Standing at just 1.78m, he is not the tallest of midfielders, though, which significantly impacts his effectiveness in physical or aerial duels. It has played a major reason behind him being deemed surplus to requirement by new Spurs coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
The Right Choice By Marcelo Bielsa?
Leeds United are in desperate need of reinforcements in the midfield department this summer as they lack a viable alternative for Kalvin Phillips. They are also without a proper replacement for Pablo Hernandez, who left the club in the summer, leaving Mateusz Klich as the only natural option in the two advanced midfield positions.
However, Marcelo Bielsa has made the right decision by denying the opportunity to Harry Winks. Although the Englishman is unquestionably a talented midfielder and is deceptively hard-working, his style of play is not ideal for Leeds United’s brand of football.
Indeed, Winks often lacks creativity in his game, appearing far too passive with his passes. While he can move forward with the ball, he is nowhere near as effective as some of the other players available in the market.
Moreover, the 25-year-old is not very competent in aerial or physical duels, which could be a problem at Leeds United, who generally tend to fight for every ball. Their decision to pass on Winks, therefore, is certainly a wise one from the club’s perspective, though the Whites must now act swiftly to sign a better alternative in these remaining few days before the transfer window slams shut.
