Leeds signing this talented 21-year-old starlet in January would be a great long-term investment

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Sayan Chatterjee

Why Stephan Ambrosius would be a good signing for Leeds United

According to claims from GhanaSoccerNet (h/t Leeds Live), Leeds United will revive their interest in Germany U-21 defender Stephan Ambrosius when the transfer window reopens in January. 

The Whites had been linked with a move for the 21-year-old centre-back during the summer but failed to agree terms of a potential transfer with Hamburger SV. Ambrosius, though, is out of contract at this current club in 2021, leaving the door open for Leeds to strike a pre-contract agreement with the player during the mid-season trading period.

However, it has been claimed that Hamburger, currently in Germany’s second-tier, are keen to tie Ambrosius to a new long-term deal, which could dampen Leeds’ hopes of signing him.

Profile

Stephan Ambrosius started his footballing education at FC St. Pauli before moving to Hamburger’s academy, where he impressed across various age-group levels. The centre-back was eventually promoted to the club’s reserve team in 2017 and made his first-team debut against Stuttgart in the Bundesliga back in March 2018.

Leeds United contact Hamburg over centre-back Stephan Ambrosius - Through It All Together
Leeds United could reignite their interest in Stephan Ambrosius in January (Getty Images)

The 21-year-old made only a solitary substitute appearance in the German second-tier last season but has started his club’s first two league games this term. Ambrosius has made a total of 5 appearances in all competitions for Hamburger SV so far.

Leeds could benefit from Ambrosius’ potential

Leeds United roped in Robin Koch from Freiburg and Diego Llorente from Real Sociedad to bolster their centre-back ranks in the summer window after failing to agree a permanent deal with Brighton for last season’s loanee Ben White.

The Whites currently have enough cover at the back, with Koch and Llorente competing for places alongside skipper Liam Cooper at the heart of the defence. Marcelo Bielsa also has promising academy starlets like Leif Davis and Oliver Casey available at his disposal, meaning Leeds should get through the campaign unscathed unless there are any grave injury issues.

The report clarifies that Leeds are exploring the possibility of signing Stephan Ambrosius on a pre-contract agreement in January so that he becomes a part of the squad next summer. Hence, it’s clear that the Whites are pursuing an interest in the German with one eye on the future. 

Hamburger SV manager Daniel Thioune heaps praise on Ghanaian defender Stephan Ambrosius | SportsWorldGhana
Ambrosius has made 5 first-team appearances for Hamburger SV (Getty Images)

That certainly makes sense given Ambrosius has only played a handful of first-team games for Hamburger and he needs more experience to make the step up to the Premier League. In case a deal does materialise, Leeds should look to put him under a development plan at Elland Road with a view to gradually phasing him into the first-team mix.

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Verdict

Leeds enriched their squad with some quality players this summer and they need to keep adding to their ranks in the upcoming transfer windows to continue progressing in the right direction.

Stephan Ambrosius might not be the finished article just yet but he seems like a real talent with a lot of potential and the Whites snapping him up on a pre-contract agreement in January would be a shrewd piece of business.