Pablo Hernandez left Leeds United in 2021 after five years and 175 appearances for the club in all competitions.
If there’s anyone in the previous decade who might be considered an Elland Road legend, it’s certainly El Mago.
He scored numerous significant goals for the club and finished his time in West Yorkshire by helping the team win promotion to the Premier League and then finish in the top half of the table.
It’s safe to assume that things have become worse since the Spanish magician left.
Leeds, on the other hand, appear to be hoping to rekindle the spark that was lost when Hernandez left by attempting to acquire Colombian attacker Jhon Arias from Fluminense.
Leeds are one of several clubs interested in signing the 26-year-old South American, according to TeamTalk on Tuesday (31 October).
Burnley, Crystal Palace, Leicester, West Ham, Wolves, and Rangers are said to have scouted Arias, who has been in “outstanding” form for Fluminense in Brazil this season.
Arias has nine goals and 13 assists in 53 games across all competitions in the 2023 season.
He has helped Fluminense reach the Copa Libertadores final, which will be contested next weekend against Boca Juniors, as well as win the Carioca Championship.
Arias is a flexible attacking midfielder who can play on either wing or as a number 10 like Hernandez was for Leeds.
He’s a technically brilliant player, with YouTube videos demonstrating how the 10-time Colombia international can cut through defenders like a hot knife through butter due to how close he can hold the ball to his feet.
According to the Brazilian newspaper Globo, Arias spent the majority of his career as a playmaker in the midfield until being used more out wide by Fluminense, who recruited him from Colombian team Santa Fe in 2021.
“Everyone had a very important job in this operation,” said Gianfranco Petruziello, who arranged the agreement that brought Arias to Brazil.
“It involved several clubs; it wasn’t just Fluminense and Patriotas who had the rights; there was Santa Fe, where he was loaned and had a contract for another six months.”
“Fluminense had a difficult time.
“Due to the Libertadores registration, President Mário made a huge effort for the player to arrive very quickly.” Given the constraints of time, Fluminense’s legal staff performed admirably.”
Arias is undoubtedly highly regarded in South America, but when a player from that region moves to the Premier club – or another top European club – they are usually relatively young.
Arias, on the other hand, is a seasoned professional with over 200 senior appearances and multiple international caps for Colombia.
Arias appears to be a late bloomer, which wasn’t a concern before because we witnessed Hernandez at his finest in his early to mid 30s at Elland Road.
If the Whites can get a jump on signing Aris this summer, he could give us the best of his career in his late 20s and beyond.
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