Cheikhou Kouyate to Leeds United: How Premier League veteran and 'duels monster' could fill Daniel Farke's midfield void

Leeds have taken a closer look at a small number of possible free agent signings following injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev which will keep both out until the New Year at the very least.

Kouyate is among them, having been released from his Nottingham Forest contract over the summer, and is yet to be picked up by a club since.

The Senegal international boasts almost 300 top flight appearances in England, in addition to four Belgian titles with RSC Anderlecht and appearances at major continental tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.

Fitness and an ability to play a part in Ampadu and Gruev's absence is a key issue in the debate whether Leeds should bring a player in on a free transfer to mitigate their loss.

Daniel Farke quite understandably has reservations about free agent signings three months into the season because such players tend to be without clubs for a reason. Kouyate is due to turn 35 in December and very much into the twilight of his career, most of which has been spent at the top level, however his use - or lack, thereof - at the City Ground last season suggests his effectiveness could be on the wane.

Just over 200 league minutes, six of which came in the second half of 2023/24, means if Kouyate were to be brought in, he would be severely lacking in match practice, therefore unlikely to provide an immediate solution to the Gruev-Ampadu dilemma.

Crucially, though, he would provide Farke with a buffer of sorts, significantly reducing the need to rely too heavily on untested youngster Charlie Crew, who is bound to get some minutes in the ensuing months, or an ill-fitting alternative with Max Wober or Isaac Schmidt in the 'deep six'.

Kouyate would be insurance, not likely cheap cover given his Premier League and international background, but insurance all the same.

So, what would Leeds be getting?

First and foremost, the 34-year-old is a duels monster and even despite his advancing years, this particular aspect of his game is unlikely to desert him, primarily because of his physical profile. Standing at 6 feet 4 inches, Kouyate is, quite literally, head and shoulders above the fit and available alternatives in his position at Thorp Arch, as well as the majority of Championship peers.

At Premier League level, Kouyate has been one of the most effective disruptors for near enough a decade, for West Ham United, Crystal Palace and latterly Nottingham Forest. During the most recent campaign in which he featured for at least 1,000 minutes, Kouyate was in the top 12 per cent of midfielders for tackles won, the top 2 per cent for shots blocked and top 10 per cent for interceptions, according to FBRef.com.

Whilst not a prolific dribbler, far from it in fact, Kouyate's success rate when beating an initial press, perhaps unsurprisingly given his size and gait, was among the best in Europe during 2021/22 and has been a feature of his game throughout his long career. Rarely tackled, even less frequently dispossessed, Kouyate's security in possession made him a safe pair of hands on and off the ball, even if he was systematically unadventurous with it at his feet. In Leeds' case, there is a whole supporting cast willing and able to fulfil that particular brief.

Granted, it is difficult to glean anything of substance from his numbers during the past two seasons at Forest where cumulatively he played just over 1,000 Premier League minutes, much of that coming from the bench. There are also obvious concerns about how much is left in the tank given he is approaching his 35th birthday, lacks match fitness and the drop-off in a player's physical level at the end of their careers can be cruelly rapid.

This season, Gruev and Ampadu have averaged 10.1 kilometres per 90 which is generally the sort of distance a defensive midfielder covers in a 90-minute period at the top professional level. Over the same number of matches, spread across multiple seasons, where Kouyate has played at least two-thirds of a game, the Senegalese midfielder averages 10.4 kilometres per 90, suggesting that age has not diminished his aerobic baseline.

Admittedly, Kouyate has rarely completed 90 minutes over the past two years, which is where any drop-off may appear more pronounced, but if Leeds were to sign him, it's unlikely he'll be needed for repeated 90-minute stints week-in, week-out. Due to Farke's ball-dominant playing style and Leeds' superiority over the majority of Championship opponents, there will be fixtures in which a duel-winning, destructive 'deep six' is not required for the duration, if at all.

For example, when Leeds face a team deploying a low block, United's central midfielders' sprint data falls quite considerably compared to games in which they are against a more evenly-matched opponent willing to 'have a go'.

One area Kouyate falls short compared to Ampadu and Gruev, though, is in reacting to opposition sides' quick counters - and reacting to transitional play in general. Without going into the boring numbers behind high-intensity running data, I'll explain it as such: a 34-year-old, 6ft 4in tall midfielder is much less likely to spin on his heels and thwart oppositions counter attacks than a player ten years his junior, who also happens to carry less body mass. Increasingly in recent years, Kouyate attempts significantly fewer high intensity accelerations than Gruev and Ampadu have managed this season.

Of course, all of the relevant data points must be scaled appropriately. Kouyate's numbers come from Premier League football, whilst representing lower-mid-table sides, while Ampadu and Gruev's are with a side at the top of the Championship against a different calibre of opponent. The date and frequency of Kouyate's recent performances must also be taken into consideration as it would be unreasonable to expect him, hypothetically speaking, to produce similar physical output in late 2024 having spent the best part of 10 months out of regular action, as his physical output in 2022 when some of the above data is pulled from.

Aside from his brutish, destructive properties and off-the-ball ability, there are few standout aspects to Kouyate's game, historically. The circumstances in which Leeds find themselves are unique and, to an extent, unforeseen. This summer, Kouyate's recruitment would not have been on the club's radar given the options Leeds had in central midfield. Whether they push the button on his signing now, will determine whether Farke and the Elland Road powers that be deem his signing a necessity or not.