Arsenal and West Ham target Noa Lang admits he wants to leave Club Brugge this summer after confirming interest from Premier League outfit Leeds United, speaking to HLN.
For all of Marcelo Bielsa’s virtues, he had his faults too. A stubborn streak, one that instilled total confidence in his methods, yes, but one that frequently hindered Leeds’ attempts to pad out the smallest of squads with a necessary injection of quality and quantity.
Bielsa, of course, turned down both Donny Van de Beek and Harry Winks in January, at a time when Leeds were crying out for midfield reinforcements. According to The Athletic, not everyone at Elland Road agreed with Bielsa’s decision to back away from Noa Lang either.
Many at Leeds were intrigued by the prospect of bringing in the former Ajax kid, a player they scouted intensively and believed would carry significant ‘re-sale value’. Bielsa, however, was not particularly enthused by Lang’s work-rate or his ability out of possession.
And thus, a transfer Leeds had put so much work in never came to fruition. After all, what Bielsa says, 99 per cent of the time, goes. At least, it did at Leeds.
“(Leeds’ interest) was concrete, yes,” Lang told HLN recently. “Leeds made three offers. We even negotiated – they flew to the Netherlands (to hold talks with me).”
Will Leeds United return for Noa Lang?
If Bielsa was the biggest obstacle standing in Leeds’ way, then his departure – and the subsequent appointment of Jesse Marsch – perhaps leaves the road free for the Yorkshire giants to pick up where they left off in the summer of 2021.
“I want to continue growing and, therefore, I have to take a step forward,” says Lang, who scored his first ever Netherlands goal with a whipcrack of a shot against Wales this month.
“If I have to stay at Bruges, I will do so with all my love. I love the club and I will always give 100 per cent.
“But I’m not afraid of (moving on). I have to keep developing myself. If I go to a bigger club, I will probably become a better footballer. Then I will train and play with a higher intensity. I only see benefits towards the World Cup.”
Arsenal are long-time admirers of Lang. According to Calciomercato, West Ham are willing to pay the 22-year-old winger £50,000-a-week at the London Stadium, amid doubts over the futures of Said Benrahma and Nikola Vlasic.
Don’t be surprised if Leeds return for Lang either – well-respected reporter Phil Hay certainly won’t be – with the club expected to lose their most influential creative outlet, Raphinha.
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Raphinha left and they went back in for Noa Lang,” Hay tells The Athletic. “They do really like Noa Lang and they did like him last summer, but they went for Dan James.
“So that could happen.”
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