An update has emerged on Leeds United and their interest in signing Club Brugge attacking midfielder Noa Lang…
What’s the talk?
According to Voetbal Nieuws (via Sport Witness), the Whites remain keen on a deal to sign the Netherlands international in one of the upcoming transfer windows.
The report claims that his dip in form this season has caused several teams to back out of the race for his services and it appears as though the Yorkshire outfit are the only side left standing.
It remains to be seen how much the Belgian club would demand for the attacker if Leeds come in for him in January, but it is stated they want to ‘hit the jackpot’ in the future.
Strike gold
Victor Orta could strike gold for Leeds by snapping the 23-year-old up at an apparent low point in his career, with other teams seemingly giving up on him, and helping the gem to find his best form.
Lang’s lack of success in front of goal this season, with one goal and two assists in 10 appearances, does not mean that the Whites, or any other clubs who were interested in him, should drop their pursuit of him.
He only turned 23 in June and is still finding his feet in the professional game, which means it would be unfair to expect him to be consistently brilliant without fail. There have also been examples of players having an off-season, or going through a poor patch of form, before hitting their stride again in the past.
One great example of that is former Chelsea attacker Eden Hazard. In the 2015/16 campaign, the Belgian winger scored four goals and provided four assists in 31 Premier League matches after managing 16 goals and five assists in 2014/15.
He followed that up by plundering 28 goals and 19 assists in the following two top-flight seasons, which shows that it is possible to go through a season of struggle, even if you are one of the top players in Europe.
Lang has shown that he does possess the quality to be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch. In the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Belgian top-flight seasons, the winger scored 21 goals and provided 20 assists in 55 appearances.
Belgian sports journalist Peter Vandenbempt once hailed the gem a “phenomenon” and talent scout Jacek Kulig previously described him as being “unstoppable”.
The £20k-per-week gem, who has scored once in five caps for the Netherlands, could get back to the levels he has shown in the past if Leeds show faith in his quality and offer him the chance to be a key player in their Premier League side.
Therefore, Orta could strike gold for the club by snapping up Lang when no one else – according to the latest reports – wants him and then increasing his value by helping him to hit the heights he proved he was capable of previously. It is a gamble but one that could pay off handsomely if he becomes a star at Elland Road by scoring and assisting goals on a regular basis.