Leeds have found perfect Pascal Struijk replacement already, data suggests he could be an upgrade

Lloyd Kelly could be making his return to England with Leeds United a top contender for his signature.

The Whites will be needing defensive reinforcements heading into next season, with Sebastiaan Bornauw struggling to prove himself and Pascal Struijk set to depart.

Leeds have been linked with a number of defenders both left and right-footed, over the last few weeks.

However, the left-footedness of Kelly suggests he would be coming in to replace Struijk.

Losing Struijk is not ideal and the player that comes into replace him will undergo plenty of scrutiny.

But, would Kelly be sufficiently capable of filling that void and how would he fit into Daniel Farke's system?

How Lloyd Kelly compares to Pascal Struijk in the key defensive areas

Reports have shared that Leeds hold "concrete interest" in Kelly with defensive reinforcements needed.

Replacing a figure like Struijk, who has remained at Elland Road for quite some time will not be easy, but is Kelly the man to take the reins?

Well, statistically, the pair are fairly evenly matched, but one does come out on top in most categories.

Last season, in their respective leagues, they made a similar number of appearances, making it a much fairer comparison.

In terms of winning his battles, Kelly actually comes out on top against Struijk.

He wins more duels (60.3 per cent versus 55.6 per cent) while also being more dominant in the air over Struijk, as well as per FotMob.

Kelly wins 62.9 per cent of his aerial battles, with the Dutchman coming in at 55.8 per cent.

However, it is to be noted that the soon-to-be departed Leeds ace does make over three more defensive actions per game.

With Farke's system, being capable on the ball is an absolute must, and Kelly ticks that box as well.

There is only a slight 0.04 per cent improvement on Struijk's passing accuracy.

Overall, if Kelly can deal with the increased volume of defensive work he will face at Elland Road and the various Premier League away grounds, he looks to be an excellent replacement for Struijk.

Why Kelly could be Leeds United's ideal left-sided centre-back

In his back-three formation, Farke often likes to see his left and right centre-backs push out into those wide areas.

Having traits of a fullback can often be beneficial in these positions, which is why the German often turned to James Justin as his right centre-back last season.

With Kelly, he has played left-back plenty of times throughout his football journey, and he is capable of progressing the ball through various means.

This makes him an excellent fir for what the German is looking to do.

Statistically, Kelly ranked in the top 17.5 per cent of defenders in the Serie A for dribble success (78.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, his recovery speed would allow the Whites to play more expansive.

This is highlighted by Kelly's 4.8 balls recovered per game.

Kelly would certainly be a sufficient fit for Farke as he has the traits to play in his system.