Noel Whelan believes Brentford midfielder Romaine Sawyers would be a quality signing for Leeds United.

The 27-year-old has been an important player for Brentford over the past few seasons and made 42 Championship appearances for the Bees last term.

Football Insider reported last week that Leeds are prepared to rival Celtic to sign the midfielder this summer, but there is also interest from West Bromwich Albion, Middlesbrough and Stoke City.

Whelan believes Sawyers would be a good signing for Leeds and is confident that he has all the attributes to become a top player at Elland Road.

“Yes, he is Leeds quality. I’ve really liked him for a number of seasons. He is big and strong, very calm on the ball with a wide range of passing and, crucially, he is physical as well. He ticks a lot of boxes,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“He has developed at a good footballing club, which is what Marcelo Bielsa wants, and will have learned a lot from Dean Smith,” added the former Leeds striker.

Whelan would like to see Sawyers signed to play alongside the influential Kalvin Phillips in midfield, rather than as a replacement for him, as the 23-year-old continues to be linked with a move away from Elland Road.

“I’d like Sawyers at Leeds, and I’d be very happy if we got him, but to play alongside Kalvin Phillips and not as a replacement for him.”

The Verdict

I agree with Whelan here. Sawyers is a talented footballer and he's been one of the standout players for Brentford over the past few seasons.

I think he's good enough to play for one of the top teams in the Championship and I see no reason why he can't make an impact for Leeds this season, should he make the switch to Elland Road.

Aside from Phillips, Mateusz Klich was the other midfield player to produce consistently good performances for Leeds last season and Sawyers is certainly capable of doing that.

I'm not sure he's good enough to replace Phillips, but he's a creative player and would be a certainly be welcome addition to the Whites' midfield.

Brentford will be hoping to challenge for promotion next season though, so it is absolutely vital that they are able to keep hold of him from their perspective.