Reading manager Mark Bowen admitted on Friday that Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United want to bring Andy Rinomhota to Elland Road.
What does Marcelo Bielsa want from a midfielder?
Well, they have to be relentlessly hard-working, more than willing to strap on the nose bag and chew up the hard yards every single matchday. They have to be versatile too, capable of thriving in a variety of different formations.
And, perhaps more importantly, they have to be exceptional in possession, happy to receive the ball in tight spaces and show considerable composure in an often hectic midfield battleground.
Andy Rinomhota, then, ticks a lot of boxes.
Speaking to Berkshire Live on Friday afternoon, Reading manager Mark Bowen claimed that Championship table-toppers Leeds United had expressed an interest in taking the club’s reigning Player of the Year off their hands heading into the January transfer window.
A Leeds-born 22-year-old who has become a cult favourite at the Madejski for his relentless, dynamic style, Rinomhota is more than comfortable playing in front of the defence or even at full-back too.
No wonder he’s caught Bielsa’s beady eye.
At the end of November, Rinomhota took on his hometown club on a freezing Berkshire evening and, while Jack Harrison lit up a largely disappointing affair with a dramatic late winner, it was Reading’s tenacious little enforcer who stood out.
Rinomhota completed 100 per cent of his passes that night, which is no mean feet against a high-pressing and uber-athletic Leeds side. There were three successful tackles too with Rinomhota using his considerable energy levels to break up Bielsa’s usually free-flowing attack on a number of occasions.
Mark this one down as another rough diamond ready and waiting to shine under the most influential boss in the Football League.
Have something to tell us about this article?
