According to a recent report from Football Insider, Shane Long could be set for a move away in the New Year. The Republic of Ireland international currently plays his football at Premier League outfit Southampton and has done so since leaving Hull City back in 2014, although a lack of regular game time under Mark Hughes this season has called his future at the club into question.
And reports suggest that Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United are eyeing up a January move for the 31-year-old, as should Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, as promotion would certainly be on for the Whites were they to land the man that epitomises their manager.
The Breakdown
Ultimately, the Yorkshire giants have come on leaps and bounds under Argentine Bielsa following his appointment as Paul Heckingbottom’s successor during the summer, which is testament to the former Lazio and Lille boss given he didn’t bring a whole host of new players through the door during the transfer window.
Instead, he has drastically improved a number of Leeds players to play an exciting brand of attacking football, but also a team that works extremely hard off the ball in pressing and seeking to win the ball back – the sort of relentless work-ethic Long has shown in abundance over the years.
The 31-year-old appears to be some way down the pecking order at St Mary’s given he has managed just five Premier League starts this term, and with the Saints seriously struggling for goals, one would expect manager Hughes to go after attacking reinforcements in the New Year.
Yet Long still has plenty to offer, especially at Championship level given his last season in the second tier was a hugely lucrative one, what with the striker netting 21 goals in just 45 matches for Reading en route to helping them reach the play-off final under Brian McDermott, who of course had a spell as Leeds manager a few years ago.
Yes, Long has since struggled to be even remotely as prolific as he was back then for the Royals, but it’s also what he gives one’s side off the ball that could be hugely invaluable – he chases down lost causes and will always keep defenders on their toes.
And in the long, hard slog that is the Championship season, something which has arguably caught Leeds out twice in the last two years given the relative lack of depth in their squad, he is exactly the sort of player one would want heading into the second half of the campaign.
And given just how much he embodies what Bielsa’s teams are all about, the linked-away ace would be perfect for the Argentine’s Leeds side, and thus a huge asset in their push for a return to the Premier League.
Leeds fans… what do you think? Let us know!
