Leeds United have had a difficult Premier League season, with struggles to perform on the pitch and managerial changes aplenty, which has ultimately led to the threat of relegation to the Championship growing by the week.
The Whites have just two league fixtures remaining to retain their top-flight status as they are currently two points inside the relegation zone and recently appointed Sam Allardyce will be desperate to deliver a positive climax to a stressful season for the supporters.
Andrea Radrizzani and the powerbrokers at Elland Road will be feeling the pressure this summer after failing to put together a successful recruitment strategy to comfortably compete in the Premier League, while reckless decisions combined with their poor planning will ultimately be pinpointed should Leeds be relegated next weekend.
Indeed, the club did make an ambitious effort to replace key players like Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips in the summer, and in the attacking department, newcomers like Wilfried Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra have shown promising signs, however, the same can't be said for some of the midfield personnel acquired.
USMNT's World Cup star Tyler Adams was brought in to replace Phillips, signing a five-year deal at Elland Road last summer and becoming a revelation in the centre of the pitch, but a season-ending hamstring injury in March has left Leeds to rely on his less than impressive international teammate, Weston McKennie.
Will Leeds sign Weston McKennie permanently?
The 24-year-old Juventus midfielder was a warmly welcomed signing in the January transfer window, joining the West Yorkshire club for the rest of the season to add some depth in midfield.
However, McKennie has not had the desired impact whilst occupying a spot in the heart of the Leeds team since the turn of the year and has struggled to make the difference desperately needed to get Leeds out of trouble.
Over 17 Premier League appearances, the American liability has failed to complete the majority of his duels (57%) and offered no goal contributions so far, as well as averaging just 24.6 accurate passes, 0.6 successful dribbles and losing possession of the ball 11.2 times per game.
Not only that, McKennie has been the recipient of a lot of criticism for his displays in a Leeds shirt, with Sky Sports commentator Joe Blitz slamming the player for his performance against Fulham last month:
“It’s such a poor pass out from McKennie which Tete intercepts. And an even worse challenge. Very reckless,” said Blitz.
“He is not quite flavour of the month with the Leeds support due to a couple of high-profile errors leading to goals. That won’t help his cause.
“A lot more was expected from him when he arrived from Juventus in January.”
It is reported that the club have an option to complete the permanent signing of McKennie for £30m this summer, but with the club in such a precarious position in the Premier League, it seems unlikely that a deal is something that would make sense at this moment in time.
With that being said, when considering the transfer fee and salary commitments alongside the midfielder's lacklustre performances, it would also make little sense to commit to a permanent deal – and instead, Radrizzani should be focusing his efforts on finding new additions who can improve the team next season.
