This week, Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post reported that Leeds are looking at Cheikhou Kouyaté to strengthen their midfield, which has been stretched thin due to injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev.
Kouyaté has been a free agent since the summer, after Nottingham Forest released him following two years at the club, during which time he made 36 appearances. Last season, the 34-year-old Senegal international, with 92 caps, started only two games and came off the bench 10 times, playing a total of 208 minutes as Forest secured their Premier League survival.
With 291 Premier League appearances across stints at West Ham United, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest, Kouyaté would bring valuable experience to the Leeds group. His career also includes winning four league titles in Belgium and an Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
Leeds advised not to sign a free agent to bolster midfield
Sky Sports and talkSPORT pundit Dan Bardell has urged Leeds off signing a free agent and believes Daniel Farke should utilize the academy to cover Ampadu and Gruev.
“Obviously they are a bit short at the moment. I think they were short anyway and injuries have just added to that,” Bardell told MOT Leeds News.
“I never think that it’s worth just signing a player for the sake of it. Leeds have got such a thriving academy I think that fans would rather see them utilise that rather than a short-term deal for the sake of it.
“I’d be wary of entering that free agent market when they’ve got the academy, I think they’re better off looking at what they’ve already got.“
On Sunday, Football Insider reported that Leeds have pulled out of a deal to sign Cheikhou Kouyaté. The club had been in discussions with the former Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, and West Ham midfielder’s camp, but they no longer plan to continue talks.
While Kouyaté’s experience had attracted the Leeds hierarchy’s interest, they have now decided not to pursue the move. At one point, Kouyate seemed likely to join Leeds after initial talks between both sides, but the discussions didn’t progress as anticipated.
