Mateusz Klich has proven himself at number 10, but not necessarily at Leeds United…..yet.
Izzy Brown hasn’t kicked a ball for Leeds United yet this season, but there is still big pressure on him when he does.
Injury has denied Brown, on a season-long loan from Chelsea, a long-awaited debut for Leeds as of yet.
He is finally fit and looks to be closing in on a stint in Marcelo Bielsa’s first team, after playing 90 minutes in a reserve game last week.
But there is an unfair but inevitable expectation for Brown to slot into Bielsa’s number 10 role as a replacement for Samu Saiz, who quit United for Getafe last month.
And that could be an option eventually, but for now Mateusz Klich might be the best Saiz alternative that Bielsa has at his disposal.
The Pole has impressed mainly in a box-to-box midfield role this season, but his half-season loan spell at Utrecht last term illustrated that he can flourish in a more advanced position.
During a 2-2 draw with Heracles in April, the 28-year-old created 11 goalscoring chances from the playmaker role. That was the highest amount of chances created by any player in the Eredivisie since Christian Eriksen way back in 2012.
And the beauty is that it could be better for the balance of Leeds’ midfield. It would allow Adam Forshaw to play as a box-to-box, potentially his best position, and Kalvin Phillips, who returns from suspension next week, could go back to his normal role.
Bielsa has already proven that he isn’t afraid to experiment, and this would be his best yet.
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