Tracked by Man City, wanted by Bielsa: Who is ‘excellent’ Oscar Dorley and why is he ideal for Leeds?

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Leeds United will surely be in the market for a new midfielder this summer, especially having remained quiet in January.

The Whites need a player to come in and offer competition for Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich in the engine room, and they are now being linked with a new name.

EFotbal in the Czech Republic report that Leeds are now looking to sign Slavia Prague talent Oscar Dorley, with a £7million deal potentially in the pipeline.

The Czech market is becoming more and more appealing thanks to the success of Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek at West Ham United, but Dorley isn’t a particularly big name.

With that in mind, let’s dig into some information on Dorley – and why he could well be ideal for Marcelo Bielsa…

Firstly, Dorley’s skillset is appealing to Leeds. He is quick and possesses great energy, but is also very capable in possession, meaning the high-tempo nature of Leeds’ play shouldn’t trouble him.

The 22-year-old’s versatility should be the big selling point though. He can play as a holding midfield or box-to-box player, meaning he can fill in for either Phillips or Klich, whilst he has even played at left back.

Left back has been a troublesome spot for Leeds in recent times, and adding Dorley as competition in that area of the pitch whilst also covering in midfield seems perfect.

Marcelo Bielsa likes a tight squad, full of players who can play in many positions. Dorley ticks those boxes, whilst at 22 he still has major potential.

He has taken quite the path to this point; after emerging with Monrovia Club Breweries in his native Liberia, Dorley moved on to Trakai in Lithuania, before starring so much with Slovan Liberec that Slavia Prague swooped in.

Dorley has 15 caps for Liberia, and boss Peter Butler – who hails from Halifax, not too far from Leeds – told BBC Sport in 2019 that Dorley has been ‘excellent’ in his midfield.

Manchester City have pursued Dorley for some time now, so this could be a real coup for Leeds if they can pull it off, even if he isn’t a big name yet.