Credit: Sporting Club de Portugal/Imago

Scott Mason

Sat 21 March 2026 18:10, UK

Leeds United look to be the frontrunners for Hidemasa Morita in the summer, with the Japanese midfielder’s safety with the ball a key trait.

Throughout the season, the Whites have more often than not been on the lower end of the possession scale in their matches.

This puts Leeds under pressure to make something happen with the ball when they do have it and losing the ball often must be avoided.

While Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach have been impressive for the LS11 outfit, they do also lose the ball quite often.

However, Leeds’ latest rumoured target has a trait that could be of high benefit to the Peacocks.

Hidemasa Morita is twice as good as Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach in keeping possession

Morita could help Leeds have more possession during their matches

According to Sofascore, Leeds have an average possession of 45.2 per cent, showcasing they defend quite frequently in their matches.

This makes holding on to the ball when they have it all the more important. In that essence, Leeds’ links to signing Morita make perfect sense.

When it comes to Stach and Ampadu, who often form a midfield pairing for Farke, the German and Welsh players lose the ball twice as much as Morita does for Sporting.

Per game, Stach loses possession 13.5 times, with Ampadu coming in with 13. In the Portuguese league, Morita only loses possession 6.7 times a match.

In fact, Ampadu is second for possession lost, and Stach is third for the stat across all of Leeds’ squad.

If the Leeds manager is looking to gain more control in matches, then the Japanese midfielder would certainly help him do so.

Why Dominic Calvert-Lewin would enjoy playing with Morita

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will also be keeping an eye on potential talks for Morita, as the midfielder has one trait that could benefit him.

That is because the Sporting CP midfielder is quite proficient with his long passing. Throughout the season so far, the Japanese international has averaged a 62 per cent accuracy.

• Morita averages 1.6 long balls attempted per game for Sporting
• Calvert-Lewin is ranked ninth across all Premier League players for aerial duels won (92)

Calvert-Lewin is known for his strong physical presence up against centre-backs, and if a midfielder such as Morita can find him more often with a long ball, that opens a new way to attack for the Whites.

Other than joining on a free transfer, a move for Morita is appealing in quite a few ways.