Leeds United should take a look at the Newcastle United midfielder if he continues to struggle for regular game time.
To paraphrase a famous quote from Alan Hansen: you’ll win nothing with technically-gifted Hobbits.
Whether it’s in the Premier League or the Championship, having an abundance of flair players in midfield and attack will work wonders – but only until the opposition figures out that kicking them out of the game, getting in their faces, is a very effective tactic to combat it.
Arsene Wenger knows. There was a time when Arsenal were the most vulnerable team in the Premier League when it came to being bullied and perhaps it’s one of the reasons as to why the Frenchman hasn’t won the title in 13 years.
Worryingly, Leeds United are displaying the same soft touch – head coach Thomas Christiansen used that phrase about 50 times over the past few weeks in post-match defeats – and Leeds should look into recruiting one of Wenger’s former players in a bid to add some steel to their undoubted silk.
Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden joined the Magpies from Arsenal in the summer of 2016 and played a big role in helping them cruise to promotion.
The 22-year-old made 33 Championship appearances for Newcastle last term but Rafael Benitez dropped him for Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool – a very decent result which makes you wonder whether the Spaniard will bring him back.
If he doesn’t and Hayden spends most of the remaining calendar year on the bench then Leeds should enquire about the possibility of bringing him to Elland Road.
The Yorkshire side are simply nowhere near physical enough for the Championship this season and the more that weakness is exposed, the more points they will drop.
Hayden, at 6’1, would instantly become their tallest midfielder and such a well-built, physical figure could go a long way to helping curb that vulnerability.
Eunan O’Kane and Kalvin Phillips have been Christiansen’s midfield partnership of choice in the Championship this season and although both have been excellent at times, they do leave a bit to be desired in the defensive stakes.
Signing Hayden wouldn’t automatically make a massive difference, but it’s an excellent starting point.
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