Leeds: £25m star would be 'great Phillips replacement' at Elland Road | OneFootball

Leeds United target Tyler Adams would be ‘a great way to replace’ Kalvin Phillips if he departs the club this summer, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

Phillips has been heavily linked with a move to Premier League champions Manchester City in recent weeks and securing a suitable heir will surely be a priority for manager Jesse Marsch.

What is the latest news involving Adams?

Reliable Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has claimed that Adams is ‘on the shortlist’ of Leeds despite signing fellow midfielders Brenden Aaronson and Marc Roca already.

Plettenberg also states that the Whites are considering the USA international’s situation as his current club RB Leipzig are eager to offload him.

Adams has fallen behind the likes of Konrad Laimer, Amadou Haidara and Kevin Kampl in the pecking order at the Red Bull Arena, and the Daily Mail have also stated that Leeds are ‘monitoring developments’.

It was Marsch who handed Adams his senior debut for New York Red Bulls when he was just 16, and the pair were reunited at Leipzig in 2019 when the American tactician was Ralf Rangnick’s assistant manager.

And now, the duo could link up for a third time at Elland Road, with the 23-year-old seemingly identified as a possible successor to Phillips.

What has O’Rourke said about Adams?

O’Rourke believes signing Adams would ‘appease the fans’ if Phillips does depart his boyhood club, given he has a wealth of experience at the highest level.

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He told GiveMeSport: “I think it’d be a great way to replace Phillips if they were to go out and buy someone like Tyler Adams, who’s an American International and has played at the highest level in the Champions League for RB Leipzig.

“So, somebody like that would sort of appease the fans who are maybe upset at the fact that Kalvin Phillips might be leaving to go to Manchester City.”

Would Adams be a good signing?

Adams, who is valued at £25 million by CIES, already has 176 senior club appearances under his name as well as 30 caps for the national team.

And the defensive-minded dynamo has put up some impressive underlying numbers over the last 12 months, ranking in the 98th percentile for blocks and the 82nd for attempted passes when compared to his positional peers, as per FBref.

The 5 foot 9 ace excels at dispossessing opposition attackers before playing a simple but effective passing game to kickstart moves of his own and could be an ideal candidate to carry on the good work that Phillips has started at Leeds.