With Daniel Farke now at the helm at Leeds United, the Elland Road outfit can begin to truly get their transfer dealings underway, with new recruits no doubt need ahead of next season's promotion push.
One area which looks particularly light at present is the midfield ranks, with January loan arrival Weston McKennie having made his return to parent club, Juventus at the end of last season, while experienced Englishman, Adam Forshaw departed the club last month following the expiry of his contract.
With speculation also rife that Tyler Adams could be set for pastures new after just a solitary season in Yorkshire, there is a growing need to bring in potential replacements as soon as possible, with the start of the new campaign just over a month away.
Amid that need for further midfield depth, Football Insider recently reported that the Whites are set to rival Burnley for the signing of Queen's Park Rangers star, Sam Field, with the 25-year-old now entering the final year of his contract at Loftus Road.
The former West Bromwich Albion man – who made the move to west London on an initial loan deal in 2021 – could prove to be a wise investment as Leeds prepare for life back in the second tier.
How good is Sam Field?
As someone who typically operates in a defensive midfield berth – as well as in a more advanced role – the Englishman could represent a dream replacement for Marc Roca in the centre of the park, with the latter man having been tipped to seal a return to his native Spain after a difficult first season at Elland Road.
The former Bayern Munich man was notably described as "very, very poor" by journalist Dean Jones following the defeat to Fulham back in April, with Farke likely to need to ruthlessly ditch the £50k-per-week dud due to his errant displays last term.
The signing of Field, therefore, could help to nudge Roca out the door, with the QPR man potentially set to offer something of an upgrade in that deep-lying midfield berth.
Previously described as "classy" and "elegant" by former teammate Ben Foster after rising through the youth ranks at the Hawthorns, the 6 foot 3 maestro enjoyed a particularly strong 2022/23 campaign in the second tier, with his ball-winning brilliance showcased by the fact that he averaged 4.3 tackles and interceptions per game from his 46 league outings.
That stellar record is in stark contrast to what Roca achieved in the top flight, with the one-time Espanyol man averaging just 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game from 32 league appearances, having also been dribbled past 1.4 times per game as a marker of just what a defensive liability he was last term.
Field's ability to break up play was also showcased by the fact that he won 64% of his ground duels and 63% of his total duels in 2022/23, with that again far superior to what record achieved for the Yorkshire giants, as he won just 48% of his ground duels and 49% of his total duels.
The current Leeds man was not even able to offer much in the way of an attacking or creative threat after providing just three goal contributions, with that also less than what the former England U20 international notched up in the Championship (four goals and assists).
With the £5.6k-per-week machine evidently capable of thriving in the second tier, a move to bring him to Elland Road would likely represent an astute piece of business, while also allowing Farke to show Roca the door in the process.