Bit by bit, the Leeds United team who secured promotion back to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa is being broken up.
Pablo Hernandez, Gianni Alioski and Kalvin Phillips have already gone. Liam Cooper and Luke Ayling are no longer nailed-on starters. The days of Adam Forshaw and Mateusz Klich, meanwhile, also appear to be numbered in West Yorkshire.
Leeds are open to offers for the injury-hit Forshaw; a free-agent in 2023. And Klich, who missed out on a place in Poland’s World Cup squad due to his lack of game-time at club level, is in talks to join Wayne Rooney across the pond at DC United.
Leeds, for the most part, have done a pretty good job rejuvenating their roster. Raphinha, now of Barcelona, stepped up brilliantly after Hernandez fell out of favour. Rasmus Kristsensen feels like a potentially excellent addition in place of Ayling on the right-hand side too.
Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United rebuild is underway
Nicolas Raskin, meanwhile, looks about as tailor-made a footballer as you could ever wish to find for Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United. Imagine a midfielder with the energy and the tenacity of Tyler Adams, coupled with the ball-carrying ability of a Brenden Aaronson. Raskin, a Belgium U21 international, is a ball-player and a ball-winner. A destroyer, a distributor and a dribbler, rolled into one 5ft 10ins package.
“He’s monstrous,” Standard Liege coach Ronny Deila says of his jack-of-all-trades dynamo. “We’re talking about a leader. His level is constantly evolving.
“I am proud of him because he has improved a lot. Before, he was a much more emotional player whereas now he is much calmer and more disciplined on the field.”
With 3.3 per 90 minutes, Raskin averages more tackles than any member of the Leeds squad bar Adams (WhoScored). His tally of four assists in 2022/23, meanwhile, is higher than any of the players at Marsch’s disposal. Two statistics which highlight Raskin’s effectiveness at either end of the pitch.
According to Het Niuewsblad, Leeds showed an interest in the summer, having come close to striking a £6 million deal in January. Now, with Klich and Forshaw expected to depart, and with contract talks between Raskin and Standard Liege collapsing, this feels like the opportune time for Leeds to pick up where they left off.
“He will not play or train with us anymore,” Deila said on Sunday, via RTBF.
“It’s a shame for everyone. But it’s a situation where there is no win-win It got more political and the club had to make a decision. I spoke with Nico. He is disappointed on one side but he knew it could happen. The club did everything to keep him.
“I haven’t seen the offer, but I’ve heard about it. I don’t know if it’s a question of money or rather an opportunity for him to leave.”
According to Het Laaste Nieuws, Standard offered Raskin a new deal worth £30,000-a-year. Not ‘a week’ but ‘a year’. Far, far less than he could expect to earn at Elland Road, for instance.
Fabrizio Romano, meanwhile, adds that Raskin will be playing with the reserves for the forseeable future. Fortunately, with the January window now just a couple of weeks away, an escape route won’t be long in coming.
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