Leeds United rejected a bid of £3.3 million for Dejan Ljubicic, a midfield player for Koln and Austria, as the German team looks to maximize the player’s market worth with less than a year left on his RheinEnergieStadion contract.

Upon viewing a four-minute highlight film of the 6′ 2″ Austrian international at SK Rapid Wien, one may conclude that he is the ideal playmaker, versatile, box-to-box central midfielder that Leeds has been lusting for years.

He can score goals and celebrate as if he’s won the World Cup. He can also hit long balls, switch plays with diagonals, thread through-balls into the path of opponents, and finish recovery runs with a well-timed tackle. Put a sign on him.

‘YouTube scouting’ is obviously not a good idea for any player, as the video are meant to highlight a player’s great attributes and their flaws are practically left out.

According to sports journalists on the continent, Leeds has been tracking the 26-year-old since January 2023. This indicates that, at the very least, those in charge of finding United’s next signing have been watching with a great deal more intent and tracking for a longer period of time than what a four-minute video set to thumping electronic Eurotrance allows.

What can be deciphered about the Austrian, whose typically un-Germanic name is down to his Bosnian parentage, will be explained in due course.

There is a chance Leeds may not return with a second bid for the midfielder, but as seen with the pursuit of Jayden Bogle, for whom two initial bids were rejected by Sheffield United, when the Whites lock in their target, they tend to see it out until completion.

Although Ljubicic is a No. 8 by position, he has recently been used by Koln as a deeper midfielder who double-pivots. This is because Ellyes Skhiri, who was, in this journalist’s opinion, one of the most underappreciated defensive midfielders and single pivots in European football, left for Eintracht Frankfurt last summer.

Effzeh’s No. 7 played as a more advanced, box-to-box type on the right-hand side of a narrow midfield three in a 4-1-3-2 system prior to the previous season, when Ljubicic slid back and Koln were demoted.

He adopted aggressive positions from this area of the pitch, helping to launch assaults, but his rangy 6′ 2″ body also allowed him to track back and tackle when needed, providing assistance for Skhiri and the back four. For an illustration of Ljubicic’s defensive work, imagine Ilia Gruev with a three- to four-inch height difference between them.

This is not to suggest that he is an especially aggressive defensive player, as Ljubicic is not; this may help to explain why Koln had more trouble using him in a deeper role during the 2023–2024 season. Opta data via FBRef.com indicates that the Austrian prefers to be active in the last third, mostly to carry the ball into dangerous areas.

Even though Ljubicic was still regarded as a No. 8, he made 1.95 progressive carries per 90 minutes for Koln in 2022–2023, which was more than four midfielders in five of the top five leagues in Europe.

Additionally, Ljubicic’s 1.68 runs into the final third and 0.53 runs into the penalty box per ninety put him in the top 18% and 16%, respectively, among midfielders throughout Europe’s top divisions.

The data also shows where positions Ljubicic like to be in when he has the ball; during that season, the Austrian averaged five progressive passes every ninety minutes, suggesting he was frequently in advanced zones, signaling to teammates to locate him.Ljubicic, a little. 8 player, should have little trouble producing chances in the Championship, according to Bundesliga stats, especially when it comes to open play. Even if his throwing accuracy may use some improvement, considering that this is a lower league than Germany’s top tier, one would expect an increase in success rate. However, this could also be a sign that the player is more interested in making the game-winning pass than in recycling and holding onto the ball.

Leeds made a hint at a sacrifice with the sale of Glen Kamara, the loan signing of Joe Rothwell, and the bid for Ljubicic, who is more of a Bournemouth loanee than Kamara. It’s possible that Daniel Farke wants to prioritize ball retention less in 2024–2025 and hopes that his midfield, particularly the No. 8 position, will be more punchy in possession and impactful in the final third.