Why Daniel Farke has one clear contender to replace Pascal Struijk at Leeds United

Pascal Struijk's exit has made it clear that Leeds United require a left-footed centre-back.

The Dutchman has left for Brighton in a deal totalling a £20million package.

It came after the centre-back had just one year left on his deal, with the Whites making the decision to sell after no breakthrough in contract talks.

Now, work will be underway to find the next player that can fill the void left by Struijk.

So far, the possible arrivals have been plentiful and it will leave the Elland Road side with a difficult decision.

MOT Leeds News goes through the key decisive metrics that could showcase the best option.

Rundown of Leeds' centre-back links and who emerges on top

Leeds have been linked to multiple centre-backs but only three stand out as out-and-out left-sided players.

That would be Wolves' Ladislav Krejci, Real Betis' Natan and Juventus' Lloyd Kelly.

Krejci has been linked to Leeds by local Wolves media, while Natan's links to Leeds have emerged from Spain.

Kelly is the latest to be touted as an option for Leeds and it showcases a clear desire for a left-footer.

But when it comes to a player who can fit into Farke's mould, Kelly may be the obvious option.

As shown by the radar plot below, the Englishman is in a much higher percentile when it comes to passing, with Farke typically liking to have control.

Kelly lands in the 71.8 while Krejci comes in at 35.3 with Natan at 27.1.

Being good on the ball is a strong requirement for any Farke centre-back.

Additionally, while there will be concerns over Kelly's aerial prowess as he has not landed in the highest percentile, Sofascore has listed his aerial duel success at 63 per cent.

And his defensive duels percentile of 80.2 also clears the other two options as well.

With Leeds set to utilise data, that could end up being the difference as well.

What about the finances involved?

When it comes to each of the defenders linked, Kelly is also the cheapest out of the lot as well.

Reports have Juventus willing to sell the Englishman for £25.7m while Natan has been touted for £38.5m.

Additionally, Wolves bought Krejci for £26m, so they will likely be looking to turn a profit on the Czech captain.

Overall, Kelly comes out on top statistically and also emerges as the most financially wise option.

The Juventus man should be a clear front-runner to replace Struijk at Elland Road.