Leeds United Opinion: Should Leeds accept James Bree from Villa?

According to a report from Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United have been offered James Bree by Aston Villa as part of a swap deal to sign Kalvin Phillips.

The Villans seem to be pushing harder in the pursuit of Phillips and now, they want to use their unsettled player Bree as a makeweight in the deal.

Why shouldn’t Leeds sign this swap deal?

Elsewhere at Elland Road, Marcelo Bielsa witnessed the departure of Pontus Jansson, who was one of the Whites’ integral players. Along with him, promising youngster Jack  Clarke chose to exit as well.

Meanwhile, Kemar Roofe and Phillips have also been linked with summer moves away from Elland Road, with the latter being wanted by Spurs and the Villans.

Phillips, 22, has been the cog in Leeds’ midfield for the past three seasons, as he put his heart out in every single game.

Having represented the Whites in more than 100 matches so far, the English midfielder’s best-ever season turned out to be the 2018/19 campaign, which eventually saw him getting named in the Championship Team of the Season.

With that being said, it would be difficult to fill Phillips’ void should he opt for an exit this summer.

On the other hand, Bree has struggled to find a place in the Villans’ playing 11, as he made only 21 appearances over the past three seasons.

The 21-year-old was loaned to fellow Championship club Ipswich Town in the latter half of the previous season, where he played 14 matches.

There isn’t a big need for defenders at Elland Road right now, considering they recently signed Ben White on loan from Brighton. Hence, this crazy swap deal involving Bree and Phillips looks like a futile one.

In addition, Leeds have a quarry of defenders in their present squad ranging from the experienced Liam Cooper to the exciting prospect, White.

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Leeds currently need reinforcements for the attacking unit but signing defenders need not be a priority at the moment.

Final Verdict

Bielsa must be determined to make a statement in the upcoming Championship campaign and players like Phillips are of great importance. Losing him in a swap deal for an unsettled player would be a terrible mistake by Leeds.