Euro pundit left stunned by Pascal Struijk after Leeds United display v Leicester City, Tottenham should sign him in January
Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk is playing “too low a level” in the Championship and should return to the Premier League in January to join Tottenham according to analyst Süleyman Öztürk.
The Voetbal International analyst, speaking to Voetbal Zone (7 November) believes that the centre-back is the best in the English second division and will find it “difficult” to get into the Dutch international setup if he remains in the Championship.
Struijk proved one of the stars of the show for Leeds United in their crucial 1-0 win over Leicester City last Friday (3 November) for which Öztürk was wowed by his performance after keeping the Foxes attack quiet all afternoon.
He said: “Struijk had Jamie Vardy in his pocket on Friday evening.
“He was very strong throughout the match, but also really decisive. I also thought it was very good in the build-up from behind.”
“He is a complete and mature defender.
“Now that Micky van de Ven has been injured, I would like to give Ange Postecoglou some advice: Struijk can easily join the defence of Tottenham Hotspur.”
“That boy really plays at too low a level. I can well imagine that a big club will come for him in January. He really is the best defender in the Championship at the moment. I think he will make that step because getting into the Dutch selection from the second level is difficult.”
“I really think he’s great.”
Massively improved
Struijk wasn’t too far from criticism all throughout last season as Leeds United struggled to escape relegation in the Premier League and there was certainly talk that he could well have left in the summer window to join Belgian giants Club Brugge (Sacha Tavolieri, 28 July).
However, no move materialised and Struijk was handed another opportunity to impress at Elland Road for which he has taken with both hands as he has formed a crucial component in one of the Championship’s best defences.
So far this season, Struijk has helped the Whites to six clean sheets, playing all of their 15 games and his last two displays have shown why he is now an undroppable commodity under Farke.
Not only has the Dutchman excelled in his defending but also in his ball progression from the back which has handed the Whites a totally new dimension under Farke’s management.
Such characteristics will certainly have a number of Premier League clubs on alert for his services but with four years remaining on his deal at Elland Road, any potential suitor will certainly need to pay the big bucks to acquire him in January.
It remains to be seen whether Tottenham is an option in the January window but given Struijk’s remarkable improvements and importance to Farke right now, Leeds United won’t be listening to any sort of offers right now.
In other Leeds news, Paraag Marathe reaction to Leicester City win shared.