Leeds United's strong Welsh contingent could hand them pole position in the chase for Wales star Harry Wilson. That's the view of Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith, who believes Wilson is unlikely to be short of offers this summer, with his current contract at Fulham set to expire at the end of the month.
Fulham have offered the 29-year-old a new deal, but his future remains unresolved, and the situation is understandably catching attention from elsewhere. Several sides have been credited with possible interest, including Aston Villa, but Smith believes having a number of Wales internationals already on board at Elland Road could give Leeds a big advantage in any prospective chase.
Welsh Influence at Leeds
"It's always a factor having the other Welsh players there," he said in his column for BestBettingSites.co.uk. "You speak to your teammates when you're away on international duty, and you always say, what's it like at your place? Good atmosphere. What's the gaffer like, what's training like. So Harry Wilson would have had those chats, I'm sure."
Leeds are the favourites with many bookmakers to complete a deal, but Smith believes Wilson is likely to be fielding multiple offers over the next few weeks. "I think he might have other offers because he's a very good player, Harry Wilson, who can do spectacular things. But the fact his international teammates are there doesn't hurt at all."
Teammates Already at Elland Road
Daniel James and Joe Rodon are already among the Welsh internationals on the books at Elland Road. Goalkeeper Karl Darlow is also there, although his future appears uncertain given he is similarly out of contract this summer. Countryman Ethan Ampadu was named club captain two years ago, and has already revealed he's been singing the club's praises to Wilson within the Wales camp.
"[I'm] trying to sell it to everyone," Ampadu said. "It's a pretty easy sell. Everyone knows how special a place Leeds is. But whenever we get asked how our time is at Leeds, when we're with Wales, we speak about it so glowingly."
