Leeds flop has become a star since leaving in 2017, he’s better than Kamara
This former Leeds United misfit has had a great career elsewhere.
Leeds United defeated Plymouth Argyle 2-0 this past weekend in Devon to extend their incredible eight-game winning streak in the Championship.
At Home Park, the goal-scoring exploits of Wilfried Gnonto and Georgia Rutter would undoubtedly make headlines, but Glen Kamara’s more quiet performance is also deserving of praise in addition to the heroics.
The Finnish holding midfielder, who lost just one battle in the 2-0 triumph, gave the Leeds defenders some breathing room and confidence that they wouldn’t be penetrated.
Even though Kamara has had an incredible season thus far, Leeds may currently have a better player in their ranks than the former Rangers player if they had simply held onto this former loanee past his forgettable time at Elland Road.
Matt Grimes’ time at Leeds
Though the 28-year-old did spend a brief loan period in West Yorkshire during the 2016–17 campaign, you might be forgiven for forgetting that Swansea City midfielder Matt Grimes had ever worn a Leeds uniform.
Grimes would later make just 12 unimpressive appearances for the Whites before limping back to Wales disappointed, reuniting with his former Swans manager Garry Monk in the process.
No one at Leeds particularly remembers this era in the club’s history, but his final game there would also see the Whites lose to non-league Sutton United in the FA Cup.
Speaking candidly about the negative impact that moving to Leeds had on his mental health recently, Grimes will have felt some relief that he was able to overcome this difficult period with the Whites and return to Swansea as a regular first-team player.
In light of the current situation involving Grimes and Kamara, where the former Exeter City academy product is currently captaining Luke Williams’ Swans, Leeds supporters would likely not be against the midfielder returning to the team despite his disastrous debut season.
Matt Grimes’ statistics with Swansea
From a goals and assists perspective, Grimes leads Kamara this season with three goals and five assists from all competitions, while Kamara’s total is less at zero goals and three assists.
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Grimes also prevails in a matchup between the two midfielders in terms of passes attempted per ninety minutes during the previous season and total shot-creating actions made thus far this season.
The Swans captain has made an amazing 84.48 pass attempts on average compared to Kamara’s poorer 66.82, and Grimes excels once more, managing 88 shot-creating actions compared to the Finnish midfielder’s meagre 64.
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC! 🦢 Matt Grimes puts Swansea in the driving seat with a brilliant goal! 👌He jinks past Brittain and curls it into the top corner. Watch live on Sky Sports Football 📺pic.twitter.com/48CjsCOpCD — Sky Sports (@SkySports) May 22, 2021
A player like Grimes in the starting eleven instead of Kamara would have further improved Leeds’ aggressive game, already buoyed by Ilia Gruev’s combative presence from deep at Elland Road this season.
Grimes will not be thinking back on his terrible time with Leeds on a daily basis, having been called a “brilliant” captain by former Swansea manager Russell Martin during their time together in Wales. Grimes has gone on to have an incredibly successful career following the disastrous loan.
However, Leeds might have had a terrific level midfield player on their hands who might have taken Kamara’s guaranteed first-team berth away from him if they had been more patient and were able to work out a permanent contract with the 28-year-old.