Leeds United should seek ambitious double raid on Sheffield United this summer: View | OneFootball

After completing the signing of Jayden Bogle, Leeds United could look to sign Gus Hamer from Sheffield United as well.

Highlights

Leeds United are fighting for promotion from the Championship and have already raided Sheffield United for one of their players but a Blade they may wish to reignite their interest in is midfielder Gus Hamer.

As we exclusively revealed last summer, Leeds were plotting an ambitious move for Hamer following their relegation to the Championship. That was later confirmed by Phil Hay of The Athletic, too. That didn't transpire, but Hamer had just one year left on his deal, and as per Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, the Blades then hijacked any potential Leeds move, and eventually agreed a deal worth up to £15 million with Coventry.

However, midfield has become a problem area again for Leeds this summer, who lack depth and quality in the 'number eight' position following the departures of Glen Kamara and Archie Gray.

Kamara, in particular, leaves with big boots to fill. There is no doubt that he will be a loss from the squad after he played more minutes in the heart of Leeds' midfield than any other player in the squad. Not only that, but his performances were of a high quality in a number of big games last year.

A 28-year-old being sold for serious profit is hard to deny as good business for Leeds, despite how crucial the Finn was at times last year for Daniel Farke and co. His press-resistance, composure, and ball retention were all key features of his game, whilst his durability and duel-winning allowed Leeds to pin the opposition in their half at times, even if his ball-striking and general output in goal and assist terms left much to be desired.

Gray, meanwhile, is a generational midfield talent lost. He played the majority of his football at right-back last season, but his long-term future was in midfield and is likely to be at Tottenham Hotspur. It's paramount that Leeds source a replacement for both players and don't just stop at the loan signing of Joe Rothwell.

Leeds' search for a midfielder

Leeds secured a temporary switch for Rothwell from AFC Bournemouth recently. The 29-year-old loanee will bring more goals to Farke's team from the middle of the park, but another player in the box-to-box role with serious output could help make Leeds an even more impressive team from midfield next year.

It would be an incredibly ambitious move but Hamer still remains a Sheffield United player, although that feels like a question of how long for as the midfielder’s future at Bramall Lane has been up in the air ever since the club suffered relegation to the Championship.

It was reported back in May that Sheffield United were willing to listen to offers for their star midfielder, with the Blades having to accept £15 million due to a clause in his contract. That sort of fee may require a further sale or two from Leeds' end but he would be a real statement of intent on top of the capture of Jayden Bogle, albeit in different circumstances.

Bogle was in the last year of his contract at Bramall Lane, whereas Hamer was a shining light in a Blades team that struggled in the Premier League last year. It's an option Leeds should be considering, as he would add more than just aggression in duels à la Kamara, but more creativity, attacking thrust, and goal threat.

For most of his career for the Sky Blues, he has been deployed in deeper midfield roles, as a box-to-box or defensive-midfielder but showed a different side to his game in his final season in a Cov shirt, playing as a more freed-up, attack-minded role.

He scored 11 goals and claimed a further 10 assists from 45 games for Coventry, including heroics in the play-off semi-final against Middlesbrough and the final against Luton Town, scoring in two of those three vital games. However, Hamer has shown that he is not necessarily an attacking midfielder now, as he remains combative and aggressive in the centre of the park.

He has a strong eye for a pass as well, which is why Leeds should be keen to sign him to utilise him in a few different roles within Farke's system. This season, the German has been forced to tinker from the usual profiles within certain positions in his team. Leeds have still opted for a 4-2-3-1 shape, but usually the most advanced midfielder would be a player capable of crashing the box or playing creative passes in possession, whilst they will also drop deeper to form a 4-3-3 shape out of possession.

Hamer could be used as the most advanced midfielder, or as part of the double-pivot in Kamara's midfield role, which is where his well-rounded profile would be best put to use in the current Leeds team. He turned 27 this summer and another attribute that the squad is lacking is vital experience as well, especially after Kamara joined Rennes.

Relegation will naturally bring about changes, and Sheffield United will feel the financial pressure of needing to sell one or two assets, making Hamer a distinct possibility for clubs in the lower half of the Premier League or an ambitious side at the top end of the Championship, and not many clubs would fit better for his profile than Leeds this summer, who still need additions.

It may require some convincing to stay in the second tier, but many pundits and fans are likely to think Leeds are in a stronger position than their South Yorkshire rivals at this moment in time. The Blades are still awaiting a takeover to be completed, which complicates their window currently. An American consortium is interested in completing a takeover of the club following their relegation from the Premier League, according to The Star.

Until the proposed takeover goes through at Bramall Lane, getting rid of unwanted players, or selling their better players for decent fees, is going to be their best way to get money that the Blades can then spend on rebuilding the squad. With it continuing to drag on, the club may still feel the need to cut their cloth accordingly.

Hamer is arguably their biggest asset and the longer it drags out, the more likely it is that it includes selling off saleable assets like him, which Leeds could take advantage of, should they find the £15 million required to activate his release clause from further departures of their own, such as Crysencio Summerville and/or Willy Gnonto.

Reuniting him with Bogle would be ambitious, but could weaken their local rivals, as well as their rivals for promotion, whilst also upgrading on Kamara in the process. Hamer has the range of passing, defensive aggression, and goal output that would make him a key player for Leeds next year.