Leeds United fans will be worried by the real lack of business at Elland Road so far this summer, as talk surrounding the West Yorkshire club's transfer activity centres in on more and more outgoings.
Glen Kamara leaving has weakened the Whites in their holding midfield spots, with Joe Rothwell joining on loan in an attempt to plug some gaps, whilst Wilfried Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville are still being routinely linked with moves away in the non-stop transfer rumour mill.
Junior Firpo is yet another name also being tipped to ditch his West Yorkshire location soon, but Leeds could have his replacement in mind already with the capture of this versatile gem, who could also soften the blow of Archie Gray no longer being around.
Leeds looking to sign 21 y/o sensation
According to reports in Spain, Firpo could soon be on the move back to one of his former employers in Real Betis, despite turning around his faltering Whites career in the Championship last season.
As a result of the former Barcelona man returning back to Betis potentially, the outlet has also speculated that Leeds are eyeing up a swoop of PEC Zwolle gem Anselmo Garcia MacNulty to strengthen in the left-back spot, which will be very sparse without Firpo's quality being present.
What MacNulty can offer Leeds
Capable of also playing at centre-back if needed, Daniel Farke and Co have been admirers of MacNulty's work for some time, having previously been linked with a switch for the 6 foot 2 defender.
This versatility could see Leeds win their next Gray in the process, hopeful that the 21-year-old can step up and fill in when needed across a gruelling Championship season to come, potentially even striking up a formidable relationship with new permanent recruit Joe Rodon along the way.
With 72 of his 104 professional career appearances coming from the centre-back spot, Farke will know he can rely on MacNulty to fill in at the heart of defence when needed next season, even if his most recent promising exploits for his Dutch employers have seen him dazzle from a left-back spot. Gray might not have experience on the left side but that ability to shuffle out into a wider full-back berth is certainly familiar here.
The ex-Wolfsburg youngster would play in this new position 30 out of 32 games last season in the Eredivisie, contributing to two goals and two assists across the span of those games, which included netting against FC Twente on the final day of the campaign.
Games played
31
44
Age
21
18
Goals scored
2
0
Assists
2
2
Touches*
61.7
54.4
Big chances created
4
2
Interceptions*
1.2
0.7
Tackles*
2.4
2.1
Ball recoveries*
3.6
4.5
Total duels won*
4.6
4.2
As can be seen glancing at the table above, MacNulty's numbers from the last Eredivisie campaign will make for encouraging reading for Leeds fans, who might well not be too clued up on the relative unknown entity away from all the speculation.
When donning a Zwolle strip last season in league action, the 21-year-old bettered Gray in many different areas of their respective games, with more big chances created as a threat down the left than the Tottenham Hotspur teenager, alongside eclipsing his counterpart's total duels won count per match.
MacNulty still has plenty of room to grow and develop into a better player over time too, with a switch to Leeds potentially the best move for him at this moment in time, so he can bounce off the likes of Rodon and Ethan Ampadu and hone in on his strengths even more.
Leeds have certainly reaped their rewards when shopping from the Netherlands in the past for talents who were previously unknown, just look at Summerville for example, and so they could gamble on MacNulty very shortly to try and add more numbers to a depleted Whites group.
What the England squad could look like at the 2026 World Cup
Former Leeds star Archie Gray has made the cut…
3 ByMatt DawsonJul 17, 2024