Leeds: Baggies axe Pereira from pre-season | OneFootball

An update has emerged on Leeds target Matheus Pereira, regarding West Brom’s plans for him this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, West Brom head coach Valerien Ismael has axed Matheus Pereira from his first-team training sessions amid speculation over the forward’s future. The ex-Barnsley manager does not want any players who are not 100% committed to the cause and has not seen enough from the Brazilian to suggest he is, which is why he has frozen him out of their pre-season plans.

Leeds, West Ham, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are all reported to be keen on the midfielder, with the Baggies hoping to receive a fee in excess of £25m for his services.

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He’d be an upgrade on Harrison

This update provides a boost to Leeds in their pursuit of the forward as it shows a willingness from the Championship club to part ways with him. Ismael, understandably, wants players who are ready to fight for him next season and, therefore, selling Pereira could be needed if he continues to show a lack of interest in training – opening the door for the Whites to swoop in.

The Brazilian wing wizard could be an excellent addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad and Victor Orta must pounce on this potential opportunity to bring him to Elland Road. Ex-Leeds forward Noel Whelan lavished praise on the “fantastic” attacker earlier this summer and backed the club to do a deal for him.

He told Football Insider: “We missed out on certain players last season, and this is a player that excites everybody. I would definitely take him all day long.

“He’s a fantastic player, he’s great on the ball, he can turn people inside out. Pereira’s another option we can use right across that front three and maybe in a number 10 role as well.

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“He’s the right age and he’s the sort of player we should be looking at. Imagine, if you put him alongside Raphinha, Rodrigo, Harrison etc, that’s pretty formidable.”

Pereira would come in as an upgrade on Jack Harrison in the wide areas. The West Brom star managed 11 goals and six assists in 30 starts as his side were relegated back down to the Championship. Harrison meanwhile, chipped in with eight goals and eight assists for Leeds in the same competition. Despite the Whites forward having more assists than Pereira, the Baggies man averaged more key passes per game than the ex-Man City winger.

This suggests that the former Sporting ace’s teammates were to blame for his lower assist totals, but he was still able to showcase his goalscoring talents with 11 strikes. Therefore, he could add more goals and assists to Bielsa’s side from out wide, which is why he would be an upgrade on Harrison.

AND in other news, Get rid: Leeds must finally axe £70k-p/w “massive flop” who’s rinsing Radrizzani dry…