Leeds eyeing Getafe’s John Patrick | OneFootball

An update has emerged on Getafe midfielder John Patrick, regarding Leeds’ interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds are one of a number of clubs interested in signing the midfielder in January on a pre-contract deal.

The report claims that the 6 foot 4 teenager is out of contract at the end of the season, with Manchester United, Everton, Burnley and Leeds all eyeing up a potential swoop.

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Imagine him and Phillips

Leeds chief Victor Orta must move for John and get a deal done for the youngster to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s squad in the January transfer window. The 18-year-old is a promising young player who could develop under the Argentine’s watchful eye and be a key part of the future at Elland Road alongside Kalvin Phillips in midfield.

He became the youngest player to play for Getafe in their history last season, at the age of 17 years and 42 days, against Sevilla. Patrick is also an international at youth level for Ireland, having snubbed England and Spain to play for his mother’s country of birth.

The midfield enforcer made five more La Liga appearances for Getafe in the 2020/21 campaign after becoming their youngest player, although they all came as a substitute. This suggests that he was catching the eye in training and proved to the manager that he was ready to play at senior level, despite his incredibly young age.

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An Irish journalist hailed him an “exciting” player with high technical quality as he lauded the prospect on The Jack McDonald Show on YouTube (24/03/21). He went on to say that Patrick is still finding his way as a young player and can look lost at times, despite possessing considerable ability on the ball.

This suggests that he could be a project for Bielsa to work on in the coming seasons. He could help develop him into becoming a midfield enforcer, given his height and hyped-up technical quality, alongside the already impressive Phillips.

The Leeds-born beast averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.01 in the Premier League last term, making 4.2 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that Phillips has been able to impose his strength on the opposition in the top-flight, regularly winning the ball back and performing to a high standard.

If Bielsa could develop Patrick to a similar level then it could be a masterstroke by him and Orta to seal a deal in January. Patrick has the physical and technical aspects to his game that mirror Phillips. The experience and know-how may be lacking but that’s something Bielsa could offer him on the training pitch.

Imagine a midfield consisting of Phillips, who loves a tackle, and the colossal figure of Patrick for Leeds in the Premier League. Opposition teams would fear having to battle against them on the pitch and that could give the Whites a significant mental edge in matches.