Marcelo Bielsa wary of reported Leeds United summer target Oli McBurnie’s impact

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This summer Leeds United were linked with a host of new signings, especially in the striking department. One of the names mentioned will be an opponent for Leeds this evening when they take on Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.

Oli McBurnie looked like he could be on his way out of Swansea this summer. Leeds immediately became a potential destination. The reason why made perfect sense. McBurnie is from Leeds and proved during a loan spell at Barnsley that he can be a threat in the Championship. Leeds also needed a new centre-forward and, at the time of the intial links, the man who took him to Oakwell on loan, Paul Heckingbottom, was Leeds boss.

However, any chance Leeds had of signing the Scottish international appeared to dissipate when Swansea were relegated. McBurnie has been a regular under new manager Graham Potter and offers Swansea a different style when needed. It was something Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa even alluded to in his own press conference yesterday, as reported by Leeds Live.

“The players of Swansea know how to build from the back. In their style, the goalkeeper and defenders build from the back. And for me it’s the feature that you could underline from Swansea.

“But they also have different possibilities. They have a real number nine and they have substitutes when they get to play can modify the physomally [sic] of the game.”

– Marcelo Bielsa comments on the impact McBurnie can have

Leeds fans were disappointed when they did not manage to sign McBurnie in the summer. However, they have done good business since. Patrick Bamford arrived instead and Bielsa has Kemar Roofe playing like a man possessed.

No doubt the Yorkshire-born striker will look to give Leeds’ defence the runaround this evening. But Leeds fans will feel they have enough to stop their one-time summer target getting the last laugh.