da brwin： Leeds United central midfielder Sean Longstaff has not featured for the club in the Premier League since November due to injury, but he has been back on the bench in recent weeks.

da dobrowin： The English star has been an unused substitute in the last two league outings for the Whites, and came off the bench in the 3-1 win over Derby County in the FA Cup earlier this month.

Daniel Farke will surely be looking to get him back on the pitch sooner rather than later because the £12m summer signing from Newcastle United has been an excellent performer this season.

The 28-year-old midfield maestro has scored one goal and created six ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 12 appearances in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he hit the ground running after his move from Tynecastle.

Leeds plotting late move for Premier League midfielder

Longstaff being an immediate success at Elland Road should not be a surprise because he joined as a proven Premier League player, having made 214 appearances for Newcastle (Transfermarkt, and they are now eyeing a star who could follow in his footsteps.

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According to SportsBoom, Leeds United are one of the clubs interested in a late deal to sign Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City before the end of the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Whites and top-flight rivals Everton are both plotting moves to snap up the former England international in a late move to bolster their midfields.

It adds that Manchester City are prepared to part ways with the experienced midfielder in the last few days of the window, and that a late offer of between £10m and £15m could be accepted by the Cityzens.

Phillips is said to be ‘desperate’ to get his career back on track and is ready to move on from The Etihad, but it remains to be seen whether or not Leeds are prepared to pay up to £15m to bring him back to Elland Road.

Why Phillips would be a Longstaff repeat

Not every signing from a foreign league will work out as Anton Stach has. Others may go the same way that Marc Roca and Weston McKennie went when Leeds were last relegated from the Premier League.

Having a mix of proven domestic signings, like Longstaff, and calculated gambles on players without any Premier League experience, like Stach, is a transfer strategy that has worked well for the Whites this season.

Phillips would fall into the Longstaff side of signings because he has 92 Premier League appearances and 234 Leeds appearances under his belt in his career, per Transfermarkt, which means that the club more or less know what they are going to get from him.

The 30-year-old star blossomed under Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road and became a regular for England, picking up 31 caps, but the last few seasons have been difficult for him.

Since a £45m move to Manchester City in the summer of 2022, Phillips has only played 64 matches in all competitions for City, Ipswich Town, and West Ham United, per Transfermarkt.

24/25 PL

Phillips

Appearances

19

Starts

14

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.8

Duels won per game

3.5

Ground duel success rate

46%

Aerial duel success rate

27%

Dribbled past per game

1.3x

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Englishman did start 14 matches in the Premier League for Ipswich last term, but he was weak in his duels and consistently dribbled past, as the Tractor Boys were relegated from the division.

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However, Leeds supporters know full well what he is capable of when he is at his best. Phillips can be a powerful and technically brilliant midfield option for Farke if he can get back to anywhere near his best.

In the 2020/21 campaign, Phillips averaged 4.2 tackles and interceptions per game and won 52% of his duels, whilst averaging 1.2 key passes per game, in the Premier League for Bielsa’s side, per Sofascore.

This means that, like Longstaff, he has the potential to be a combative midfielder who can also provide creative quality with his passing range and ability on the ball.

Farke has already shown that he has the motivational and coaching skills to revive a player’s career. Dominic Calvert-Lewin only scored three Premier League goals for Everton last term, yet has already scored nine top-flight goals for Leeds this season.

If the German head coach can work a similar miracle with Phillips, the experienced star could return from Manchester City to be a Longstaff repeat for the club.

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