Leeds United will attempt to make a move for RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.
What’s the word?
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider revealed that the USA international is of interest to those at Elland Road, with manager Jesse Marsch seemingly focusing his attention on recruiting from the Red Bull group.
Amid reports that the Yorkshire side are interested in the 23-year-old, Taylor revealed:
“I think the way the Red Bulls clubs play in terms of their pressing, it’s very similar to Jesse Marsch, obviously he coached both of them clubs, so that’s why the players are of interest, it’s about the pressing game and I do think Adams is one they will go for.”
The 48-year-old has already utilised those connections to bring in Rasmus Kristensen and Brenden Aaronson from Austrian outfit Red Bull Salzburg, with Adams seemingly another familiar face on his list, having coached the 19-cap gem during his brief stint in charge of the Bundesliga side last term.
Kimmich 2.0
That hunt for a new midfield addition – despite having also added Bayern Munich man Marc Roca this summer – has been heightened by the impending departure of star asset Kalvin Phillips, with the 26-year-old set to join Premier League champions Manchester City on a reported £42m deal.
The loss of the Englishman will leave a notably void at the base of the midfield, with Phillips having pulled the strings in that defensive role over the past few seasons, after undergoing a remarkable transformation during Marcelo Bielsa’s time in charge.
In Adams, however, the club have identified perhaps the ideal fit to help plug the gap, with the £15.3m-rated man having blossomed into a key figure for the German outfit in recent years, netting twice and providing four assists in 102 games since his move from New York Red Bulls in January 2019.
While clearly not a free-scoring, creative outfit, the £38k-per-week ace is a master at patrolling in front of the back four, notably ranking in the top 19% for pressures made and the top 2% for blocks made among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues.
That aggressive, midfield approach has seen him dubbed a “machine” by journalist Dylan Butler, with it perhaps unsurprising to learn that he has attempted to model his game around current Chelsea star, N’Golo Kante, as well as Bayern Maestro, Joshua Kimmich.
Others have also made notable links between the youngster and the latter man, with former Manchester United interim Ralf Rangnick sharing his reasoning behind the flattering comparison:
“We spoke about Joshua earlier and Tyler is the same; he has an unbelievable will to win. He wants to win every match and every training game. He wants to improve and listens. He’s never satisfied.” Rangnick said. “He always strives for improvement and in terms of his tactical understanding, I prefer to see him in central midfield because then he’s at the heart of the action.
“I don’t like to see him out wide, although he can do that well and that makes him valuable to the team and to Julian. I see him similarly to Joshua Kimmich, in central midfield as a six or an eight. He has now started to score and create a few goals and I see his potential as being very high, the sky is the limit. As long as he maintains his mentality, and he won’t lose it, I don’t see any limits.”
As the current Austria boss alluded to, the 5 foot 9 gem shares that invaluable versatility with the aforementioned Kimmich – who can feature both at full-back and in the centre of the pitch – although like the German he is seemingly at his best in a central midfield berth.
Although the younger man still has some way to go to reach the heights of the serial-winning German – who ranks in the top 1% for shot-creating actions and in the top 1% for progressive passes among his peers in Europe’s top five leagues – the comments of Rangnick would indicate that he could well follow a similar path to that of the 27-year-old.
As Kimmich has shown, being small in stature does not mean that a midfielder can’t be an imposing presence on the pitch, while he also illustrates the beauty of a player who can dictate the tempo of a game, without necessarily taking all the glory.
If plucked by sporting director Victor Orta this summer, Adams may not be the man to net a late winner nor provide that telling assist, yet his all-round contribution to Marsch’s side could be just as valuable.
AND in other news, Phil Hay now reveals “serious” Leeds transfer development, supporters will be buzzing..
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