Noel Whelan heaped praise on Liverpool attacker Ryan Kent and said that he would be a brilliant signing for Leeds United.
The BBC pundit suggested that the Leeds boss probably attended Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Bradford on Sunday to see the 22-year-old in action, and Whelan claimed that Bielsa could have met with Jurgen Klopp after the game.
Whelan described Kent as a really exciting young prospect and stated that he would personally love to see the winger at Elland Road next season.
“Bielsa was probably at Bradford looking at Ryan Kent,” said Whelan in an interview with Football Insider.
“There’s no reason for him to go there rather than Australia unless it was beneficial for him.
“Ryan Kent has been spoken about before. I think Bielsa has met with Jurgen Klopp after the game. If there is interest and conversations going on it, it is worth talking with his manager.
“There’s no harm in building up a rapport with Klopp.
“I would love to have Kent at Leeds next season. He is a fantastic young player who did really well at Rangers last season. Stevie G would love to keep him but if we can get him, he would be a brilliant signing.
“He can play wide, number 10, has pace, strength, can run at defenders, and score and create goals. He’s a really exciting young prospect.”
OPINION
Football Insider previously reported in June that Leeds were preparing to swoop for Liverpool’s Kent and Harry Wilson, so it would be no surprise if Bielsa checked out the 22-year-old ahead of potentially making a move. However, it has also been reported recently by the Daily Mirror that Leeds failed in an attempt to take Kent on loan as Klopp wants to take the winger on the Reds’ pre-season tour of America. So perhaps while Bielsa and Whelan may want Kent at Leeds, it may not be on the cards this summer. The 22-year-old had a tremendously successful loan spell with Rangers last season as he scored six goals as well as assisted four, and got 2082 minutes of action under his belt (Source: BBC). Given that Kent has only featured once for the Reds’ senior team, getting that many minutes under his belt worked wonders for his development. The 22-year-old averaged a goal every 347 minutes while on loan with the Gers, as per the BBC, and it’ll be interesting to see if his 2019/20 season can be as impressive.
