Leeds interested in 12-cap machine who's "tough as iron", he's the dream Klich upgrade - opinion

Leeds United are battling fellow Premier League side West Ham in the race to sign Anderlecht midfielder Josh Cullen this summer.

According to TEAMtalk, Jesse Marsch’s side are in contention with a number of other clubs including the Hammers in the chase to land the 25-year-old, with the Republic of Ireland international’s deal currently expiring in the summer of 2023.

With Mateusz Klich soon to turn 32 in just a couple of months time, it’s high-time Leeds consider slowly easing the Poland international out of the first-team picture and bringing in a more youthful and dynamic star in the middle of the park.

And in Cullen, they could find someone who fits that exact bill of being hard-working, and extremely durable, just like Klich.

Speaking just last year, Anderlecht boss Vincent Kompany said: “He is never called the Man of the Match, but he is the most popular in the squad. Those who admire him the most for his work are his teammates. He has only one thing in mind: the team. His own person comes after, in the background. If the team wins, it’s because he did a lot of jobs that the others couldn’t do.

“An anecdote: against Genk, he hit his head and they put a bandage on him. As I know he is of Irish descent and tough as iron, I slapped him on his bandage and said with a laugh: ‘Are you okay? Come on, run then, and stop making excuses.’ The same against Charleroi: he took a big tackle on the ankle, but I knew he would continue, even if his leg was cut in half.”

Klich has much of the same never-say-die attitude characteristics, but his form over the past 12 months or so has certainly come under question amid the Whites’ return to the Premier League.

Speaking just last summer after a particularly anonymous display in a 2-0