Phil SumblerIt was interesting to read in multiple sources yesterday the links between Leeds United and Flynn Downes with the player linked with the move to the Premier League should Kalvin Phillips join Aston Villa in the summer transfer window.
Of course we say Premier League with no guarantee that Leeds will still be there next season although their chances have been greatly increased thanks to two late winners in their last two games that have put some valuable daylight between them and the division’s bottom three – daylight that is now thought to give them enough breathing space to pick up the points that they need to secure a third successive season.
Phillips has been on of Leeds’ stars of their Premier League tenure this time around earning rave reviews for his performances together with a host of England caps including a key role as they reached the final of the European Championships last summer.
The Times though reported that Aston Villa lead the race to sign the England international ahead of West Ham and Newcastle.
Steven Gerrard’s men are prepared to offer £60 million for the 26-year-old with the claim adding that they are prepared to offer a £10m annual wage on top of that – figures that both club and player could find too difficult to turn down.
Downes of course has impressed for the Swans this season since signing last summer and has been the subject of much praise from Russell Martin with the manager declaring earlier this season “He has an excellent willingness to learn, his attitude, his attention to detail and how quickly he learns is outstanding,” – comments coming after another typically impressive Downes display against Huddersfield at the Swansea.com stadium.
Downes is one of five players in the top 10 of average passes per game in the Championship this season with an average of just about 67 passes per game and an accuracy of 92.6% making him the most accurate passer at our level. Statistics like that will always make people sit up and take notice and it appears that Leeds are one of those clubs.
That said his tally of just 1 goal and 1 assist is unlikely to make Leeds fans get too excited at the possibility of him replacing one of their prized assets and it is difficult to see then making a move for the player particularly if they do retain their Premier League status as expected.
If Leeds did go down then a move for Downes would make more sense given the reduced income they will be operating on (even if they do get a £60m windfall from the sale of Phillips.) Downes has undoubtedly been one of the high points of our play this season but is he ready for that step into the Premier League at the moment – probably not especially not when any replacement for Phillips would be expected to fill some pretty big shoes and plug a big gap in their midfield.
I can certainly see interest in Downes coming our way this summer but not with a move to Leeds United although I firmly believe his name has been mentioned.
