Leeds United have reportedly identified Swansea City midfielder Flynn Downes as a potential replacement for Kalvin Phillips, should the England international depart this summer.
According to The Times, Aston Villa are keen on the Leeds talisman and could make a £60 million move for him in the upcoming window.
The report adds that Downes is on the Whites’ radar as a potential replacement for Phillips should he depart.
The 23-year-old only arrived at the Swansea.com Stadium last summer, joining from Ipswich Town, but certainly seems to have turned heads with his performances in the Championship this term.
We’ve turned to the stats, with a little help from Whoscored, to see how Downes 2021/22 campaign has differed from the midfielders currently in Jesse Marsch’s squad.
Due to injury issues, a host of players have featured in the centre of the park for Leeds this season but our focus will be on Phillips, Stuart Dallas, Mateusz Klich, and Jamie Shackleton.
No Whites player has made more appearances than Downes (31) this season while Dallas (2607) is the only of the midfielders to play more minutes than the Swansea man (2362).
In replacing Phillips, much of the focus is going to be on what he offers without possession and his defensive output is lower than his Leeds’ counterparts for the most part.
The 23-year-old averages 1.2 tackles and 1.8 total attempted tackles per game this season, which is lower than all four Leeds midfielders – even Klich who averages both the lowest tackles per game (1.4) and the lowest total attempted tackles (1.8).
However, Downes is dribbled past less on average per game (0.6 times) than any of the Whites midfielders.
Likewise, only Dallas averages more clearances per game (1.7) than the Swansea
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