"A very good investment": Phil Hay drops teasing Leeds transfer update, Orta must move - opinion

Phil Hay has dropped an update on reported Leeds United transfer target Noa Lang.

In a recent Q&A on The Athletic, the Leeds United correspondent suggested that, should Raphinha go on to seal a move away from Elland Road at the end of the current campaign, in addition to the Whites securing survival in the Premier League, Victor Orta could reignite his interest in the Club Brugge winger – who was reportedly a target of the Spanish sporting director last summer.

When asked whether the Whites would be interested in a move for the 22-year-old, Hay said: “The club were very keen on him last summer. [Marcelo] Bielsa less so, which is why they left it alone.

“If Raphinha goes, Leeds will need to build up their attack (and they need more attacking players regardless IMO). That said, we can all forget about players of Lang’s quality if Leeds go down. But Lang would potentially be a very good investment.”

While the calibre of players Leeds will be able to target this summer very much hinges on whether or not they remain a Premier League side in 2022/23, should Jesse Marsch be able to keep the Whites up, Orta simply must make a move for Lang in the off-season.

Indeed, over his 34 Jupiler Pro League appearances this season, the £19.8m-rated forward has proven to be a continuous threat on the Brugge left flank, scoring seven goals, registering 12 assists and creating 19 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.8 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £20k-per-week sensation average a rather breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as Alfred Schreuder’s sixth-best player in the Belgian top flight, but also as the joint 20th-best