Championship outfit Leeds United loaned Jay-Roy Grot out to Eredivisie outfit VVV Venlo in the summer transfer window
Marcelo Bielsa demands a few key attributes from all members of his squad – hard work, a committed team ethic and the ability to pass the ball accurately to maintain the tactician’s possession-based style.
So if Jay-Roy Grot is to salvage his Leeds United career, the stats suggest that there is one clear are where the young Dutch striker must improve during the remainder of his loan spell with VVV Venlo.
Grot struggled badly during a disappointing debut season with The Whites and, one year after joining from NEC Nijmegen, he returned to his homeland with a loan spell at Eredivisie outfit VVV.
And while the 20-year-old’s tally of two goals in 12 games isn’t exactly prolific, he has often played out on the left where his aerial presence and powerful bursts down the flanks have made him a key part of VVV’s gameplan.
But, if Grot is to catch Bielsa’s eye and undergo a Mateusz Klich-style transformation, he clearly needs to improve on the ball. The Dutch U21 international completed just half of his passes in VVV’s 2-2 draw with AZ Alkmaar last time out, a poor statistic that rather sours what was an otherwise decent performance.
Grot’s pass completion rate for the entire season is just 68 per cent. That is worse than 21 of Leeds’ first-team players, including goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell. In fact, only Patrick Bamford, Ryan Edmondson and Will Huffer have posted a poorer percentage.
So clearly there is one part of Grot’s game that he would do well to improve.
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