Emre Mor failed to impress at Borussia Dortmund. (Getty Images)
According to reports in Turkey, as cited by the Birmingham Live, Leeds United are among a host of Championship clubs linked with a January move for Turkish winger Emre Mor, who has spent time on loan at Galatasaray from Spanish club Celta Vigo this season.
Championship promotion rivals Brentford and West Brom have also been credited with an interest in the 22-year-old left-footed ace, who has failed to register a single goal or an assist in 16 appearances across all competitions for Galatasaray so far this term. (h/t Birmingham Live)
As per the report, Celta Vigo are prepared to cut all ties with the Turk in January and would be prepared to accept an offer for a permanent transfer.
Born in Denmark to parents of Turkish descent, Mor started his footballing education at Lyngby and furthered his development at Nordsjaelland before turning professional with the latter. His talent and potential caught the eye of Borussia Dortmund, who snapped him up on a five-year deal back in the summer of 2016.
However, the Turkish international was moved on by Dortmund after scoring just once in 19 appearances, with Spanish outfit Celta Vigo pouncing on the opportunity to sign him.
Despite showing obvious signs of promise in his first season in the La Liga, Mor fell out with then-manager Thomas Tuchel, who complained about his lack of application (h/t Birmingham Live). The 22-year-old scored only once in 39 appearances over the course of two years at Celta Vigo before joining Galatasaray on loan this past summer.
Now, if the report is to be believed, Galatasaray are keen to bring his loan spell to a premature end after the winger’s unimpressive returns in the first half of the campaign, and a host of Championship sides, including pace-setters Leeds United, have been linked.
Meanwhile, Leeds crashed out of the FA Cup after a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Monday, despite Marcelo Bielsa’s side earning plenty of plaudits for a lion-hearted display against the Premier League stalwarts.
The Whites succumbed to a late winner from Reiss Nelson but there were obvious signs to suggest from their overall display that the West Yorkshire giants are, indeed, ready to make the step up to the top-flight next season after their impressive reinstatement under the Argentine tactician.
Leeds might have stumbled in their pursuit of promotion last season but with the Whites showing unwavering consistency in the ongoing campaign, the fans at Elland Road have every reason to hope that there won’t be any blips this time around.
However, the departure of Eddie Nketiah, who was recalled prematurely by Arsenal from his loan spell in West Yorkshire earlier in the month, continues to give Bielsa some food for thought.
The manager’s confidence in first-choice striker Patrick Bamford has certainly paid off handsomely for Leeds but a new back-up will surely be needed, with fixtures set to come thick and fast during a brutal second half of the campaign.
To put things into perspective, all that Leeds United need in January is a new striker to fill in the void left by Nketiah and completing a deal for Emre Mor won’t make a lot of sense for the Whites, given that they already have some quality options down the wide areas of the pitch.
Essentially a right-winger by trade, Mor would find it really difficult to break into Leeds’ current playing eleven in the Championship, with Helder Costa pretty much a regular fixture in that role.
Stuart Dallas has featured in central midfield of late but it is worth reminding that the Northern Irishman is primarily a winger by trade.
The Turk is versatile enough to slot into a left-wing role but with Man City loanee Jack Harrison currently working wonders, Mor might not even get a look in from Bielsa if a move to Elland Road were to materialize in January.
The 22-year-old fits the bill as a fine young player in the right age bracket but if his lacklustre returns in Germany, Spain and Turkey are anything to go by, it is pretty clear that Mor doesn’t have enough end product to his game to aid the Whites in their surge for promotion.
With Leeds vying for promotion in the Championship, the current situation at Elland Road necessitates the recruitment of proven game-changers and the January window is hardly the correct time for the Whites to play a gamble on Mor, who is trying to find his feet after a couple of difficult years.
Suffice to say, Leeds United would dodge a bullet by dropping their interest in Emre Mor.
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