"A great addition" - Leeds United linked to 19 cap international midfielder: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds United have submitted an offer to sign Fortuna Düsseldorf midfielder Ao Tanaka, according to a report from German outlet BILD.

Daniel Farke is well accustomed to the German leagues, having taken charge of SV Lippstadt and Borussia Dortmund II before his switch to Norwich City. He has since managed Borussia Mönchengladbach more recently before being sacked by the Bundesliga outfit earlier in the summer.

During his spell with Norwich, he utilised the German market and brought in the likes of Tom Trybull, Marco Stiepermann, Moritz Leitner and more from across the channel to Norfolk.

Tanaka's potentially the latest on that list, and his contract doesn't expire for another two years which leaves his current club in a position where they may feel it is best to cash in, and Leeds are hoping to get a deal over the line for the 24-year-old, alongside Bundesliga side Stuttgart.

They recently made a €2.7m offer for the player but they have since pulled out of the race, handing the Whites a golden opportunity to steal a march on their competition and get a deal over the line for the Japan international.

Leeds' offer for Tanaka is reportedly higher than Stuttgart's and although the West Yorkshire outfit are still in negotiations to recruit the midfielder, he could potentially make the move to England in the coming days.

A more recent report has emerged, via Sport Witness, which states that Tanaka has picked up an injury in training, which potentially leaves his move to Elland Road up in the air.

However, since then, Düsseldorf have confirmed that the collision he received in training was not thought to be serious, and the midfielder will take part in training tomorrow, unless, of course, a move to Leeds is struck before then.

Phil Hay of The Athletic has confirmed the reports linking Leeds with the Japan international. He said: "Talk in Germany of late interest in another Farke target, Fortuna Düsseldorf’s Ao Tanaka, is accurate."

Would Ao Tanaka be a good signing for Leeds United?

Here, we ask our FLW writers their verdict on whether this will be a good addition for Leeds United to sign Tanaka from Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Adam Elliott

Tanaka could be a solid addition to Leeds’ midfield. Departures have meant adding quality in this area is imperative, with Leeds stretched thin currently. The dearth of options available to Farke include Ethan Ampadu, Archie Gray, Darko Gyabi, Lewis Bate, and Jamie Shackleton; but all are aged 23 and under.

Tanaka himself only turns 25 next month, but would bring a wealth of experience, having played 19 times for Japan, including a famous goal against Spain at the World Cup in Qatar. He has also played 59 times in Germany after moving from Kawasaki Frontale and built a strong reputation for himself.

His general profile is of a player with a fairly athletic build, but also the technical quality and combativeness to slot in at the base of Farke’s midfield duo in the Championship. His ball-winning abilities will ease the burden on Ampadu, but also allow Gray to have less time playing so regularly at the age of just 17.

The Japanese midfielder would be a great addition to come in as part of a new-look pivot with good mobility and a good all-round skill-set for a midfielder, and with Leeds in need of at least one more body to ease the pressure on players like Gray, and potentially offer them guidance as well - it's a solid option to add him to the mix.

Leeds have been linked with other box-to-box midfield options, and Kenny McLean, with recent reports surfacing linking the club to Norwich City's Kenny McLean (Sky Sports Transfer Centre (28/08, 21:17)), and Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara could sign some time this week, according to a report from Fabrizio Romano over the weekend. However, Tanaka may be the best fit of the three for Farke's team.

Leeds need a midfielder in the coming days, with concerns growing over Farke's reliance on Archie Gray, who, despite being a brilliant prospect, is playing a lot of football for a 17-year-old in his breakout season.

A number of players are on the radar at Leeds, with links to Kenny McLean and Glen Kamara refusing to go away, as well as this specific link to Tanaka.

Whilst the former two are very experienced, which would help Leeds' pool of young midfielders, Tanaka is only a touch older than those he'd be joining in the engine room. However, the 24-year-old has a much higher ceiling than McLean and Kamara, whilst he's also picked up valuable experience in Germany and with the Japanese national team. Of course, that doesn't always qualify you for the Championship, yet the midfielder's energetic profile does seem to suit a Farke system as either a No.8 or, at a push, a No.10.

The concern for Leeds here will be the reported injury Tanaka has collected and potentially having to rush through to get him over the line before Friday's deadline. Given the current list of injuries at Elland Road, the last thing the club needs is to be making an important signing and him sitting out for a chunky length of time.

Dussledorf might have played down those concerns, yet the cynic in you makes you think that is just a way of trying to push any transfer saga along. Admittedly, this is what medicals are for. You just fear it might then be too late for Leeds to look elsewhere if things collapsed with Tanaka at that stage.

That's how important it is for Leeds to get this midfielder through the door in what remains of the window; it would turn a good window into a great window, particularly if said signing fits the bill like Tanaka teases he would.