As per a report from Spanish outlet AS, Leeds United midfielder Samu Saiz is being chased by Spanish La Liga outfit Getafe with a loan move being lined up ahead of the January transfer window.
The 27-year-old started out his career with the Academy of Real Madrid before spending time with Sevilla Atletico, Melilla, Getafe B team, Almeria and Atletico Madrid B side. He then joined Huesca in 2015. Having spent two years at the club, Saiz moved to Elland Road in the summer of 2017.
The playmaker was one of the best players for Leeds United in his debut campaign, finishing the 2017/18 season with 9 goals and 8 assists from 37 matches across all competitions. The ongoing season hasn’t been the most kind for the Spaniard though, as he has often found himself on the substitutes’ bench under new boss Marcelo Bielsa.
So far in the 2018/19 term, Saiz has featured 21 times across all competitions, out of which 15 came as starts in the English second division. In those 21 appearances, the 27-year-old has scored just a single goal but does have three assists to his name.
The midfielder has established himself as a firm favourite among the Leeds’ supporters, owing to the creativity and the flair that he brings to the team’s play in the final third. His presence on the pitch adds an X-factor to the Whites’ attack. However, his game is missing that element of consistency which has been a major cause of frustration and has been one of the main reasons for him being dropped out of the starting XI in recent weeks.
Saiz is also guilty of not putting in the hard yards defensively, which is pivotal in the system that Bielsa employs at Elland Road. Moreover, his disciplinary issues have always been a bit of a problem. Last season, the 27-year-old received a lengthy ban for spitting on a player. In his spell with the Whites, the Spanish playmaker has received 11 yellow cards in total and was also shown a red card once.
While he did start the season well under Bielsa, the midfielder has cut a forlorn figure and appears to be unsettled at the moment. And with his productivity in terms of goals and assists not meeting the required levels, it makes sense for Leeds to allow the player to leave.
More so, considering the fact that they have a readymade replacement in Izzy Brown waiting on the sidelines to replace the 27-year-old. Brown joined from Chelsea on a season-long loan and has recently returned from an injury. He has featured for the Whites’ U23 setup and is ready to make the step up to the senior team in the coming weeks.
Saiz is a player with immense talent but given the current scenario, it would be prudent of Leeds to let him leave temporarily in January.
