Leeds United central midfielder Ao Tanaka has been a revelation since he came into the starting line-up over the past four matches in all competitions.
The Japan international scored against West Ham United in the win over the Hammers at the London Stadium in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, earning a place as a starter for the next three Premier League games.
In the last three games, Tanaka has completed 90% of his attempted passes and created a whopping nine chances for his teammates, showing off his technical and creative quality in the middle of the park.
Leeds are now unbeaten in the last ten matches that the Japanese maestro has started in all competitions. The last time they lost with him in the XI was a 3-2 loss to Manchester City in November.
He has earned his place in the starting line-up and should remain there for the rest of the 2025/26 campaign, as the club look set to avoid relegation down to the Championship.
Leeds considering move to sign Premier League star
Tanaka has breathed new life into the Leeds attack with the on-ball quality that he provides, playing alongside a team largely built on physical qualities for the Premier League.
With survival set to be secured, the Whites have now been offered the chance to sign another player like the Japan international who can raise the technical ceiling of the team.
According to TEAMtalk, Leeds United are one of the clubs to have been approached about a summer deal to sign attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott from Liverpool.
The report claims that the Whites are one of five Premier League teams to have been spoken to by the England U21 international’s representatives, as they work on a transfer for him in the upcoming summer window.
He is currently on loan at Aston Villa, who have a £35m option to sign him permanently, but the left-footed star is set to return to Anfield at the end of this season.
TEAMtalk adds that Leeds are yet to make a decision on whether or not they would be interested in signing the forward, which means that they are still considering a move.
How Harvey Elliott would be Leeds United’s new Ao Tanaka
Tanaka spent a long time out of the starting line-up as a regular this season, having only started ten top-flight matches in total, as Daniel Farke opted for physicality over technical quality.
The Japan international is not a midfield brute, having lost 56% of his duels in the Premier League, but his aforementioned pass accuracy and key pass output highlights the quality that he can offer in possession.
Elliott has only played five Premier League games for Villa this season, but his form per 90 across 18 games in the division for Liverpool last term shows that he does have technical quality to offer, like Tanaka.
|
24/25 PL |
Elliott per 90 |
Rank vs RWs |
|---|---|---|
|
xG |
0.44 |
Top 1% |
|
Goals |
0.25 |
Top 9% |
|
xA |
0.16 |
Top 16% |
|
Assists |
0.50 |
Top 3% |
|
Chances created |
2.50 |
Top 5% |
|
Big chances created |
0.25 |
Top 26% |
The left-footed magician, who played as a right winger and as a central midfielder for the Reds, ranked highly among his positional peers in a host of key metrics, which shows that he can be effective in the league.
It has not worked out for him at Villa, clearly, but Leeds could take advantage of his struggles at Villa Park by swooping to sign him from Liverpool this summer, to inject some more creative quality into the squad.
Elliott, once dubbed “outrageous” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, racked up 15 goals and 21 assists in 149 appearances for the Reds before his loan move to Villa, and he assisted nine goals in the Premier League as recently as the 2023/24 campaign.
No player in the current Leeds squad has created more than five goals in the top-flight for Farke’s side this season, which suggests that they could do with adding more creative players to the group in the summer window.
Elliott, therefore, could be a shrewd addition to the squad as an opportunistic signing after his failed loan stint at Villa, as his form in the past for Liverpool suggests that he has far more to offer than being a bit-part player with the Villans.
Leeds could be without ‘crucial player’ for Chelsea semi-final after training absence
The Whites could reach their first FA Cup final since the 1970s.
Leeds could then have both Tanaka and Elliott in their team to provide technical quality and creativity, whilst other players in the side can offer the physical attributes that the Premier League demands.
