Darragh MacAnthony blown away by Daniel James move to Leeds United
Daniel James is “perfect” for Leeds United after the winger joined them from Manchester United on deadline day, according to Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony.
As reported by the Independent, the 23-year-old has joined the Whites in a deal worth an initial £25million, which could rise to £30million due to add-ons and make him the Yorkshire club’s record signing.
James came close to joining Leeds in 2019 when he was at Swansea and Sky Sports pundit MacAnthony feels Marcelo Bielsa has found a player who’ll be a hit at Elland Road.
“James is a Bielsa signing though. I think he is perfect for Leeds,” said MacAnthony on Sky Sports News on Tuesday night [08:42pm].
“Bielsa will get the best out of him. He will have a phenomenal time at Leeds, in my opinion.
“I think he is made for the way Leeds play, his intensity and his pace.
“Terrific signing. Great business.”
Superb deal
It may have taken two and a half years but James is finally a Leeds United player.
Bielsa and Victor Orta clearly retained their interest in the Wales international after Swansea infamously pulled the plug on that winter 2019 transfer.
Since then, James has proven himself in the Premier League with Man United, played in the Champions League and represented Wales at a major international tournament.
While we’ve paid a lot of money for the ex-Swansea winger, he’s clearly come a long way since that cold February night a few seasons ago.
It is now going to be interesting to see how he fits into Bielsa’s system at Elland Road.
In Raphinha, Leeds already have one of the most exciting wingers in the Premier League while Jack Harrison has been superb in the last few years at the Yorkshire giants and doesn’t deserve to be dropped.
One option for Bielsa is to alternate wide players while he could also opt to play Raphinha through the middle, behind striker Patrick Bamford.
James’ electric pace and never-ending energy would also make him a perfect impact substitute – although we’re sure Leeds would not have splashed out up to £30million on someone who won’t make the starting line-up.
In other Leeds United news, Victor Orta admits the Whites missed out on signing this player in the summer.