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Leeds United are going to be linked with almost every single higher profile player in the lower leagues for the next five months, right?
Well, the latest link coming out of the papers is that Leeds are interested in the services of one Jon Nolan, who currently piles his trade at League One Shrewsbury Town.
Leeds want to sign former Everton playmaker, 7-goal star would be ideal for them https://t.co/CYQ2oJIMRF
— Nicholas L. Locke (@mrnicholaslocke) March 20, 2018
Nolan is a former Everton youth player, who never made it to the first team while at the Merseyside club. He left Everton for Stockport County in 2011 and has been a journeyman of sorts ever since, appearing for Lincoln City while the Imps were in the National League, Grimsby Town, Chesterfield, and he joined Shrewsbury this past summer for a small fee.
The 25 year-old central midfielder was a member of the Grimsby Town squad that was promoted to League Two from the National League in 2015-16, and was rewarded with a move to League One Chesterfield for the 2016-17 season.
He’s played most of his career at the National League level, but he’s been a revelation for Shrewsbury this season, scoring seven goals and adding six assists in Shrewsbury’s shock promotion contending season.
However, if Nolan is to come to Leeds, there would need to be either a change in formation or a jettisoning of current players, as the central midfield is already crowded at the moment. Leeds have veterans Eunan O’Kane and Adam Forshaw to go with young stars Kalvin Phillips and Ronaldo Vieira. The club also has two other central midfielders in Mateusz Klich and Japan international Yosuke Ideguchi out on loan as well.
If Jon Nolan suddenly starts playing like Kevin Nolan, this would be a a good acquisition for Leeds. Otherwise, this is a tad risky. The seven goals he’s scored this season is a career high for the midfielder, as he’s gotten 21 for his entire eight-year senior career, and only one goal had previously come in League One, with the rest coming in the National League.
Late bloomers can happen, but this seems like a reach for Leeds, as the club wants to achieve promotion, not simply consolidate their position in the Championship.