There’s always one player during pre-season that manages to catch people’s eye.
That one man that you either forgot about, possibly because he was on loan somewhere, or the youngster coming through the ranks getting their first taste of senior football.
Well the flavour of this pre-season appears to be 17-year-old Polish midfielder Mateusz Bogusz. His goal against Western Sydney Wanderers last week certainly got the fans talking and he’s even managed to gain the attention of former Leeds player Noel Whelan.
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan spoke about the young Pole and how his skillset can be a useful asset to the team.
“He has got really good feet, technically he’s very, very good, and you can see that he’s got a delightful strike on him with the goal that he scored. I would not be surprised at all if he made a breakthrough like the other young lads did last season. He’s a real prospect for the future and I think he might have a big part to play this campaign.”
It goes back to what I’ve said countless times before. The attacking options at the club are fine, be they out wide or up top, and that feeling goes for the attacking midfield part of the squad too. Although Bogusz is predominantly a central midfield player, he’s shown his willingness to get forward, so he’ll be able to work in a more attack-minded role.
As Whelan mentions, given Bielsa’s willingness to play young ones, as was demonstrated with his use of Jack Clarke last season, it’s not impossible to think that he could get a couple of games under his belt this season.
That’s what gets me annoyed when I see Leeds fans worrying about, then clamouring for a new centre forward, there are so many attacking options there that fans don’t need to get concerned about it. If Whelan believes that a young man like Bogusz can get a game, then why not Rafa Mujica, or any of the other players in the Leeds academy?
Just a quick note to end. You’re probably wondering why I think it’s OK for him to dip into the academy for attackers but not for defenders. Well it’s because Bielsa has shown the players he’s willing to give a try this season, even the few youngsters who went to Australia, of which Bogusz was a part of, and there weren’t many young central defenders in that squad. That’s why he should buy some, because he probably doesn’t trust the ones that are already here.