The summer transfer window is fast approaching and Leeds United could be amongst the busiest Premier League clubs as they look to vastly strengthen their squad after a below-par season. The Whites currently sit 16th, eight points above the relegation zone heading into the final seven games of the campaign.
Although the Whites are still in some danger of being dragged back into the dogfight, the form of Burnley, Watford and Everton suggests it would take an almighty turn of events to see Leeds go down. With that in mind, Leeds are already looking ahead of the summer to see who they can bring in.
Koln defender Timo Hubers is someone who has already been linked with a move to the Whites at the end of the season and is also attracting interest from the likes of Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Southampton. According to the Daily Mail, Championship leaders Fulham are monitoring his situation ahead of a possible summer move as they look to bolster their back-line. But Leeds remain firmly at the front of the queue.
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What has he done so far?
A no-nonsense defender, Hubers slowly progressed through the ranks at Hannover 96 as a teenager to become an established Bundesliga defender. The 25-year-old broke through into Die Roten's first-team in 2015 and began to gain much more experience, before suffering a serious, long-term knee injury.
Hubers ruptured his ACL in pre-season of 2016/17 which virtually ruled him out for the whole campaign. It was a major blow in his progress as he began to show signs of becoming a high-level centre-back.
He had to drop down to the club's B side for the following two seasons to gain valuable game time and minutes in order to build himself back up after what was a horrendous setback. Hubers returned back to his normal levels at the end of the 2019/20 season, where he played the final 12 Bundesliga matches.
Last season, Hubers scored twice in 22 games which earned him a move to Koln last summer. It is a move that has worked well for both parties, with the German centre-back playing 19 times in all competitions, helping his side up to eighth place and in the running for a Europa League spot.
Why would Leeds want him?
Having conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season (68), it is clear to see that Leeds need to add defensive reinforcements in the summer. The Whites haven't been able to find a consistent centre-back partnership that has played more than four successive games together.
Injuries to Robin Koch, Diego Llorente and Pascal Struijk towards the start of the campaign forced Luke Ayling to play at centre-back before he was ruled out for two months with a knee issue. Then, just as Leeds were getting players back, Liam Cooper picked up a long-term hamstring injury, while Kalvin Phillips also had to have surgery on a similar problem.
A catalogue of issues caused the Whites to falter and it saw them concede 22 goals in February - the most in a single month in Premier League history. This is a reason why Hubers is being lined up as a possible addition as they try to bolster their squad to compete towards the top end of the season.
Hubers' defensive numbers are also excellent this campaign in what is a tricky league. Coming against the likes of Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski, Hubers has recorded an average of 2.1 tackles, 2.7 interceptions and 4.9 clearances per-games. This is astronomical compared to some of his fellow defenders in the division.
In actual fact, Hubers is the third-highest rated defender in the entire league via Whoscored.com this term. With an average rating of 7.13, only Nico Schlotterbeck and Nicolas Hofler have been more consistent according to the website and Leeds would be signing a highly-rated centre-back who has potential to improve.
It is being reported that £6million could be enough to tempt Koln to sell Hubers in the summer. Leeds should surely do everything they can to bring him to the club given the quality he possesses, both in and out of possession. His passing range is also superb, having averaged 64.3 passes per-game with a success rate of 85%.
What has been said about him?
Hubers has spoken about his time at Koln this season and his side's performance, hinting that he is pleased in Germany. "In recent years, we parked the bus a lot, but those thoughts are no longer in our heads," Hübers told Kicker.
"We want to defend 20-30 meters higher up the pitch. Of course, that entails risk, but it's fun to play actively, not reactively. It's a sort of shock therapy after playing differently here for so long."
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