Summary
Defender Pascal Struijk should be given a chance at Leeds United should he want to stay with the club, according to Joe Wainman
The Dutch defender has been with the club since 2018 following his time in the Ajax youth system.
How old is Pascal Struijk?
The 23-year-old defender has hit a crossroads in his Leeds United career.
After arriving in January of 2018, it took the Belgian-born player two years before breaking out into the Yorkshire sides setup, with the 2020/21 season being his real establishing moment under the tutelage of Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa. The defender made 29 appearances for the first team that season, including 22 starts in the league at the age of just 20 across both centre-back and defensive midfield. The youngster impressed many that season, earning an average rating of 6.81 according to WhoScored and receiving praise from Tony Dorigo after a standout performance against Burnley: "Struijk did really well because [Chris] Wood, Barnes, they made it difficult, the ball was in the air all the time, first ball, second ball, corner kicks, so many set-pieces – where we have been found wanting in previous games. We dealt with those a load better today and Struijk and Ayling were magnificent."
The following two seasons have been disappointing compared to the heights he previously set, as playing in an unfamiliar position of left-back throughout Struijk only managed a 6.36 and a 6.66 average rating respectively, with last season ending in a disappointing relegation from the Premier League after three seasons. The defender received a lot of criticism throughout the last two seasons due to lapses in concentration and poor defensive mistakes, with Premier League Hall of Fame striker Alan Shearer branding the defending as "an embarrassment".
This summer, a number of Leeds United defenders have departed following relegation, with Robin Koch and Maximilian Wober heading off to the Bundesliga whilst Diego Llorente has made his loan switch to Roma a permanent one. This has opened the door for opportunities and game time at centre-back, and despite the reports that Liverpool defender Nat Phillips is a target for a move to Elland Road, opportunities may appear for Struijk in his more natural position should he stay this summer.
Speaking on his Youtube channel, Wainman stated that he believes Struijk should get the opportunity at the heart of the defence next season if he stays, but he doesn't believe the player is "as up on Leeds" as many fans believe: "For me Pascal Struijk should be given a chance, but that is if he indeed wants to stay because I don’t think he’s as up on Leeds as we all expect. Trust me when I say this, and I said this with Max Wober before, a lot of them want the exit door. Whether they’ll be able to find new clubs and there’ll be clubs willing to pay the asking price that Leeds United set down will remain to be seen."
Who could partner Pascal Strujk?
There are a number of potential options for Leeds to partner with the Dutchman next season should he choose to stay at Elland Road.
As stated earlier, according to The Athletic, the Whites are interested in signing Phillips from Liverpool in a deal that could set the club back around £10m. The Englishman made a name for himself in the 2020/21 season during the Merseyside clubs injury crisis, making 20 appearances across the Premier League and the Champions League as he helped the club finish in the top four. Since then, opportunities have been limited and a loan move to Bournemouth in the championship in 2021 was his most recent regular football. Despite this, whenever he has played he has impressed manager Jurgen Klopp, who said in 2021: "He's a brilliant guy, smart guy, intelligent, everything. He's not easy on the eye, he's not Messi but who cares? Twelve Championship teams wanted him and to me it was clear he was going, and I was fine with that – and it didn't work out for whatever reason, and it's great! Tonight he was spot on, helped the team incredibly."
Leeds could also turn to solutions from within. The club recently announced the signing of former Chelsea and current Wales international Ethan Ampadu, who could be the player chosen to partner Struijk due to his age and playstyle, whilst club captain Liam Cooper has experience at leading a team to promotion from the Championship to the Premier League, which new manager Daniel Farke could rely on in his first campaign at the helm.
