Bielsa has found next Ben White, Leeds must swoop now for CB compared to 4-time PL winner – view
Leeds United have suffered this season after losing Ben White, with the impressive centre-back moving back to parent club Brighton last summer.
Three senior centre-backs are out at the moment, with Robin Koch unlikely to play much more of a part in this season’s Premier League.
He’s due back in Spring and it won’t leave him much time to get Bielsa fit and back on the pitch.
Diego Llorente and Liam Cooper have suffered from multiple injury problems and it’s left Luke Ayling and Pascal Struijk carrying the can.
Bielsa might not want to bring in a senior centre-back this January but there’s a more junior option who could be massive for Leeds going forward.
Man City’s Luke Mbete has been linked with Leeds after an Athletic article said he had been drawing admiring glances, not just from the Whites but Juventus as well.
The 17-year-old turned heads when he was included on the Man City first-team bench for the recent win against Chelsea.
He got there after a very impressive Premier League 2 campaign. Man City are third in the top-flight and Mbete has impressed in 10 appearances.
He’s even been compared to four-time Premier League winner Vincent Kompany.
Sam Lee, the Man City correspondent for the Athletic picked Mbete out as a Premier League prospect to watch in 2021.
His write-up makes Mbete sound like he’s tailor-made for Leeds and very similar in style to Ben White – except taller.
“[He is] tall and fast, but perhaps his most eye-catching trait is his passing.
“All City centre-backs need to be good on the ball, of course, but he is not merely comfortable, he is genuinely creative and likes to play searching passes in behind the opposition defence.”
On the official Man City site, a piece about Mbete describes him as: “A tall and commanding presence at the heart of our defence, left-footed Mbete is assured and composed in possession and is both tactically astute and confident with the ball and in his distribution.”
WyScout has a small sample of games on Mbete but his numbers are impressive – he wins 72% of his defensive duels, 70% of his aerial duels, has a passing accuracy of 92.6% and makes 3.48 interceptions per 90 minutes.
Mbete played a big part in Man City’s 2020 FA Youth Cup triumph and was described by Goal as: “A quick, strong centre-back, 17-year-old defender Mbete-Tabu has already drawn early comparisons with club legend Vincent Kompany.”
There are obvious similarities between the way Leeds and Man City play.
And the two clubs have a successful history as recent deals for Jack Harrison and Ian Poveda show.
It’s going to be a big ask for Mbete to get in the Man City first-team, but Pep is obviously a big fan – even getting on the bench is a feat at the Etihad.
If Leeds can convince Man City to let them take Mbete on loan for the next 18 months, he could well get game time this season if our struggles at the back continue.
He could certainly play a big part at the back for Leeds next season.
We’ve all seen what Bielsa did for Ben White. Pep will certainly be aware. Mbete could be the next Ben White, with added height and presence.
If he doesn’t make the grade at Man City, Leeds could then be first in line to take him on a permanent deal and he could be the player to help take us to the next level.
In other Leeds United news, Bielsa to start Greenwood up top in 9 changes – Predicted Leeds starting XI v Crawley