Updates Eduardo Razo calls on Leeds to trust its young academy more than its former Nottingham Forest veteran13 October 2024
Leeds is reportedly considering Cheikhou Kouyaté to bolster its midfield, which has been overworked as a result of injuries to Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu, according to Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post this week.
After spending two years and making 36 appearances for Nottingham Forest, Kouyaté was released in the summer, making him a free agent. The 34-year-old Senegal international, who has 92 caps, played a total of 208 minutes as Forest survived the Premier League last season, starting just two games and coming off the bench ten times.
Kouyaté, who played for West Ham United, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest, totalled 291 Premier League appearances. His expertise would be invaluable to the Leeds team. Throughout his career, he has also helped Senegal win an Africa Cup of Nations championship and four league crowns in Belgium.
Leeds is urged against adding a free agent to strengthen their midfield.
Dan Bardell, a commentator for Sky Sports and talkSPORT, has advised Leeds not to acquire a free agent and thinks Daniel Farke should cover Ampadu and Gruev through the academy.
They are obviously a little short right now. Bardell told MOT Leeds News, “I think they were short anyway, and injuries have just added to that.”
“I never believe that signing a player is worthwhile purely for show. Since Leeds has such a strong academy, I believe that supporters would prefer that they make use of it rather than signing a quick contract only for show.
“I think they’d be better off looking at what they already have, so I’d be cautious about entering that free agent market when they have the academy.”
Football Insider revealed on Sunday that Leeds have withdrawn from a contract to sign Cheikhou Kouyaté. The midfielder’s camp from West Ham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest had been in talks with the club, but such conversations are no longer planned.
The Leeds administration was interested in Kouyaté because of his experience, but they have now decided against moving forward. After preliminary conversations between the two parties, Kouyate appeared likely to join Leeds at one stage, but the talks didn’t go as planned.
