Leeds reportedly interested in former Newcastle winger Yasin Ben El-Mhanni

The transfer rumours at Leeds United have been fairly quiet so far this summer, as the club hasn’t been very active so far in the market. The biggest “acquisition” of the off-season by Leeds was, of course, the legendary Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa and his revolutionary tactical genius coming to Elland Road. To go with his 3-3-1-3 formation, it was assumed that some new players would need to come to Leeds.

However, the only player signing at Leeds has been a deal for Chelsea loanee Lewis Baker, who was signed last week to a one-year loan. And while there have been plenty of rumours about other signings, nothing else has materialized.

It now appears that another name should be added to the list of players rumoured to be on their way to Leeds.

Former Newcastle United U23 winger Yasin Ben El-Mhanni has reportedly garnered interest from Leeds, among other clubs. Wolverhampton and Watford FC of the Premier League, and Nottingham Forest of the Championship have also reportedly expressed interest, as well as a few overseas clubs, Beskitas of Turkey, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Benfica, and Lazio.

22 year-old Ben El-Mhanni is available to sign right away, as the player was released by Newcastle after last season, but don’t get too concerned. Ben El-Mhanni made a complaint against the Newcastle U23 manager in regards to bullying and discrimination, and an independent inquiry found the allegations to be credible. He was told last January, after he made the complaint, that he would be released at the end of his contract that expired at the end of June.

Opinions vary on the skill of the player, so take all of this with a grain of salt. El-Mhanni only featured in two senior matches in his time at Newcastle, and those were in the FA Cup the year that Newcastle was promoted from the Championship. He failed to even make the bench that year in the Championship, and spent most of his time in the U23s sitting on the bench as well.

So is the link to Ben El-Mhanni just an agent trying to hype up his player? Or was a talented player unfairly railroaded out of Newcastle because of discrimination? It’s entirely possible that he was treated unfairly, and since a transfer fee won’t be needed, it’s not necessarily the worst idea in the world to bring him in. However, a players that are linked to Serie A clubs don’t usually get released by lower-rung Premier League team U23s without an appearance in the Premier League. If Ben El-Mhanni does come, don’t get too excited.