Huddersfield Town favourite Lewis O’Brien appears to be a leading target for Leeds United as they aim to wrap up their pursuit of a midfielder this month.

Leeds have missed out on signing Conor Gallagher from Chelsea and, as per Phil Hay at The Athletic, are looking at a deal for O’Brien.

Alan Nixon has previously reported that it will take around £10m to land the service of the 22-year-old, who has been thriving for the last 12 months under Marcelo Bielsa’s former first-team coach, Carlos Corberan.

 

 

It’s a slight change in approach to what we’ve seen from Leeds over the last couple of transfer windows. Victor Orta’s work has, largely, been done in Europe, with little focus on the ‘cream of the Championship’.

O’Brien seems to be an exception this summer, though, with Leeds having almost a full month to work on a deal for the Huddersfield ace.

We dive into THREE qualities he would bring here:

Potential

 

Firstly, it’s worth pointing out that O’Brien’s arrival might not necessarily impact the first-team straight away. Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich, Rodrigo, Stuart Dallas and Tyler Roberts are all senior options to play in the three midfield positions, with Jamie Shackleton and Robin Koch also in the picture.

What O’Brien offers Leeds is depth and, more importantly, potential.

Bielsa will like what he sees in O’Brien and will be taking Corberan’s advice on whether or not he would suit Leeds’ systems. He will also be looking at how he can develop the 22-year-old’s game.

O’Brien is already approaching 100 senior appearances for Huddersfield, but his best years are still ahead of him and he could flourish under Bielsa.

That might not be in the next 12-18 months. However, he could be Bielsa’s long-term project to set Leeds up for replacing Klich and Dallas.

Versatility

 

O’Brien is a midfielder by trade but Corberan has chipped into his ability to play in a number of positions over the course of the last 12 months.

At times, he’s been asked to play wide on the left on the back of Josh Koroma’s injury, showcasing his ability to link well with an overlapping full-back in Harry Toffolo.

Alongside that, Corberan has utilised O’Brien as a left-back and left wing-back during Toffolo’s spell on the sidelines.

Neither of those roles are natural to O’Brien, yet he’s intelligent enough to make an impact there and not lose his influence on the side.

The 22-year-old’s best position is as a driving No.8 and that’s where Bielsa will see him long-term. However, his tendency to carry a small squad at Elland Road means he, like Corberan, might have to chip into O’Brien’s versatility.

Drive

 

O’Brien’s style of play is really positive. He’s got good ability on the ball and links the left channel of the pitch really well with his winger and full-back. He isn’t just a passer, though, he’s a willing runner and offers plenty of drive.

Wyscout stats tell us that in the 2020/21 campaign O’Brien averaged 3.22 progressive runs per 90, which was matched by 3.6 attempted dribbles (with almost 60% success).

If Huddersfield’s deep-lying players could break lines with their passing, O’Brien was able to take the ball on the turn and run at defenders consistently. In turn, it pulled defensive shapes to pieces.

The 22-year-old averaged 4.62 passes into the final third and 2.15 passes into the penalty area every 90 minutes he played, as a result of that initial drive and burst of pace.

Leeds are at their best when Klich is looking to do similar. The Polish international takes more risks in-and-around the penalty area with his passing, but O’Brien offers more of that initial drive to get a side playing on the front foot.

The pair share similar traits and would complement each other over the next couple of years.