Polish midfielder Mateusz Klich arrived at Leeds from Eredivisie side FC Twente in the summer – but he could have signed even earlier.
The vast majority of Leeds United’s summer signings have had fans wondering whether new director of football Victor Orta has developed a Midas Touch since arriving at Elland Road.
Attacking trio Pierre-Michel Lasogga, Samu Saiz and Ezgjan Alioski have already made Leeds a more potent and creative attacking force under Thomas Christiansen while goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald’s recent record of six straight clean-sheets is mightily impressive.
In contrast, however, Polish international Mateusz Klich had been something of a slow burner so far. After missing much of pre-season through injury, the 27-year-old, who arrived from FC Twente, struggled to make an impact in a couple of rare outings in his first few weeks in England.
However, Klich’s performance in Tuesday’s thrilling EFL Cup win against Premier League opposition Burnley gave the technically gifted midfielder the chance to show what he can bring to the table.
Neat, tidy and positive in possession, Klich dominated the midfield against his top flight counterparts – suggesting that a lack of fitness was the only thing preventing him from showcasing his qualities earlier in a Leeds shirt.
Nonetheless, you get the feeling that Klich might have been an even more useful signing for Leeds last season than he is now. Sky Sports reported that former Leeds boss Garry Monk recommended the 10-time international to Leeds last summer before he swapped Kaiserslautern for FC Twente.
And with Monk’s side badly lacking in creativity and craft in the centre of the park last season, becoming increasingly reliant on veteran playmaker Pablo Hernandez, you wonder whether Klich could have provided that vision and composure Leeds needed to avoid a run of one win in eight which cost them a place in the play-offs.
After all, the workmanlike midfield of 2016/17 certainly lacked a player of Klich’s poise.
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