March could unearth a £50m talent who's "Champions League material" in 19y/o Leeds gem - opinion

Despite Kalvin Phillips having missed a huge portion of Leeds United’s 2021/22 Premier League campaign due to a hamstring injury, interest in the central midfielder remains high ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

Indeed, West Ham United were reported to have had a £50m bid for the England international turned down by Victor Orta in January, while the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa have also been credited with an interest in the 26-year-old in recent weeks.

As such, while the player who Phil Hay dubbed “Champions League material” is by no means certain to leave Elland Road this summer, considering the sheer level of interest in his services, it would nevertheless appear a very wise move for Jesse Marsch to start planning for life after Phillips.

However, before spending big on a potential replacement for the £38k-per-week midfielder in the summer transfer window, it would seem advisable for the American manager to take a closer look at one of the Whites’ up and coming talents in the position – in the shape of Lewis Bate.

Having joined Leeds in what was a £1.58m move from Chelsea last summer, the 19-year-old arrived at Elland Road with an impressive reputation, with Connor Rowden – a specialist in U18 and U23 football, as well as England’s youth teams – appearing particularly excited about the central midfielder’s potential.

Speaking about Bate, Rowden said: “His ability to take control of the tempo of a game from deep, dropping into spaces and probing with his mastery of the short and long passing game is where he excels.”

Furthermore, former Leeds centre-forward Jermaine Beckford also appears to believe the England U20 international has an extremely bright future in the professional