Sky Sports pundit excited by Seko Fofana with Leeds United in hunt to sign Lens midfielder
We’re delighted to welcome former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson as our exclusive columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Leeds United...
Paul Robinson has been raving about Seko Fofana after the Lens midfielder was linked with a move to Leeds United – but wants his former club to err on the side of caution.
Leeds are yet to sign a first-team player this month despite Marcelo Bielsa’s squad being ravaged by injuries all season.
He’s needed to add to his midfield for a while now and clearly, additions in the centre of the park are a top priority.
According to the Daily Mail last week [13 January], Leeds are in the hunt to sign 26-year-old central midfielder Fofana from Lens.
It is understood that the ex-Manchester City midfielder, who’s been compared to Yaya Toure and Patrick Vieira, is valued over £14million by Lens and could be sold in January if the right offer is made.
While Fofana sounds as though he ticks a lot of boxes for Leeds, Robinson would rather see the Whites pursue players who have a strong understanding of the Premier League already so they can hit the ground running for Bielsa.
“It’s an exciting option on paper and the credentials are there,” Robinson told MOT Leeds News. “His stats and his figures stack up to make him a quality player. But players do take time to adjust to the Premier League.
“I don’t for one moment think Leeds will be in a relegation battle but it’s very important they bolster the squad in January with players who know the league and they’re going to hit the ground running. We’ve seen the injuries they’ve had.
“Yes, Fofana is a top-quality player and yes, he’s a proven player in France. His figures do stack up.
“But in January, it is a tough one because players do take their time to settle and with Marcelo Bielsa, we’ve talked so many times about how he wants players on the training ground to train them the same way to get them used to what he wants.
“If you sign a player at the end of January and Marcelo wants him to have three weeks on the training ground, you’re already into March so you need someone to hit the ground running.
“You’re taking a risk when you sign players from other leagues and other countries.”
Fofana has scored eight goals in 23 appearances in all competitions this season for Lens, wearing the captain’s armband numerous times in Ligue 1.
The Ligue 1 website says he’s a powerful box-to-box midfielder who’s also a “tireless runner”.
In other Leeds United news, Victor Orta has been caught on camera at a major European airport amid reported transfer talks.