Leeds United could return with bid for Ilias Chair in January after ‘Complicated’ deadline day approach
Leeds United wanted to seal a last-gasp move for Queens Park Rangers attacking midfielder Ilias Chair before Friday’s 11pm deadline, but could yet return with a bargain move in January.
Reach PLC journalist Darren Witcoop, taking to his personal Twitter account (1 September) shared that the Whites registered an interest in Chair earlier in the summer window and any could have impacted Joe Gelhardt’s future at Elland Road, with Ipswich Town interested before the deadline.
With Leeds losing Luis Sinisterra to Bournemouth in a last-gasp deadline day swoop, it was thought Chair would be the one player they wanted to try and replace him with, but the Whites “emerged late” which wasn’t enough to seal an 11th-hour deal.
Witcoop also reported via Twitter late on deadline day (1 September) that the Moroccan midfielder won’t be moving because his side “stuck to their guns” when they couldn’t find a replacement, with the Whites prepared to meet his £6m asking price and beat Leicester City to his signing.
Chair has arguably been one of QPR’s standout and best performers over the past couple of seasons despite the West London club’s struggles recently and is a player certainly destined for a move away very soon.
Leeds United will certainly be desperate for more midfield invention in the transfer market, players who can grab games by the scruff of the neck with their creativity and imagination in the final third and Chair has proven amongst the best in the division at providing that, at a consistent rate too.
The 25-year-old could have been a more forward-thinking signing than the Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev additions, with the number 10 role potentially one of the areas that Daniel Farke’s squad has been left slightly short.
The Whites failed in their attempts to sign Bayer Leverkusen magician Nadem Amiri and new Sheffield United capture Gustavo Hamer throughout the summer, and Chair represents the next best bet for Farke.
28 goals and 31 assists throughout his six-year spell at Loftus Road certainly makes for impressive reading and certainly highlights a player very influential in both scoring and creating chances, which the Whites could have done well to recruit on deadline day.
However, Chair will be staying in West London for the foreseeable but a January exit could be very possible, with the Moroccan having over a year to run on his contract when 2024 comes around.
£6m for such a decisive and influential final third creator could prove an absolute bargain buy for the Whites with the club’s owners 49ers Enterprises potentially having some more cash left to burn should they need it in January.
Chair is a talent that could potentially prove crucial in their bid for Premier League promotion down the line.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites wanted to complete a last-gasp midfield transfer had Joe Gelhardt left to join a Championship rival.