Leeds United were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season as former sporting director Victor Orta's work in the transfer market failed to keep them in the division.
The Spanish chief made a number of big additions to the squad throughout the 2023/24 campaign, including big-money deals for Brenden Aaronson and Georginio Rutter, but the Whites were relegated back down to the Championship after three years in the top-flight.
Central midfielder Weston McKennie was brought in on loan from Italian giants Juventus during the January transfer window, with an option to make the deal permanent for £30m in the summer, but flopped at Elland Road with underwhelming performances in the middle of the park.
Leeds had a nightmare with the flop as he struggled in England before returning to shine with Juventus this season, which has earned him interest from two Premier League giants.
Weston McKennie's stats with Leeds
The USA international joined in the middle of a relegation battle and played under three managers – Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Sam Allardyce – during his short spell in Yorkshire.
He may use those reasons to explain why Leeds supporters did not see the best of his abilities in the Premier League, as McKennie failed to make a big impact on or off the ball.
The American lightweight lost 61% of his ground duels and was dribbled past 1.1 times per match across 19 appearances, and 16 starts, in the division, which shows that opposition players found it far too easy to outmuscle or get past him.
On the ball, McKennie did not score any goals and assisted one, to go along with 0.7 key passes per game, in those 19 Premier League games for Leeds, and this highlights his lack of impact at both ends of the pitch for the club.
The teams interested in Weston McKennie now
GIVEMESPORT recently reported that Manchester United have identified the 25-year-old whiz as a possible target for the upcoming transfer window.
The outlet also claimed that fellow Premier League giants Arsenal also have their eye on the USA international as they want to bolster their options in midfield at the end of the season.
Leeds supporters who watched McKennie flop at Elland Road last term may be wondering why United and Arsenal are both interested in the midfielder, and the table below may help to explain why.
Appearances
19
27
Sofascore rating
6.67
7.09
Assists
1
7
Key passes per game
0.7
1.4
Dribbled past per game
1.1
0.3
Ground duel success rate
39%
50%
Pass accuracy
78%
82%
As you can see in the statistics above, the Juventus star has excelled in the Serie A this season with a bigger impact on and off the ball in comparison to his Premier League displays.
He has offered far more creativity, with seven times as many assists and twice as many key passes per game, along with an 11% higher success rate in ground duels.
Leeds, possibly due to their battle against relegation and several changes in management, did not get the best out of the now-Arsenal target, and may look back on their failure to extract his true quality as a howler on their part.
Therefore, it was a nightmare all round for the Whites as he flopped hard during his time at Elland Road, and now they have to watch on as he potentially seals a move to a top-six Premier League team this summer, should Juventus decide to cash in on him.