'I get the impression he loves Leeds' - Muharemovic analysed
- Published
"He did a tackle right in front of the South Stand and the whole place erupted. I was thinking, 'you're going to go down well with this club'."
Former Leeds United boss Simon Grayson is reflecting on the moment new signing Tarik Muharemovic endeared himself to fans on his Elland Road debut in a friendly against RB Leipzig in July.
The 23-year-old defender had just become Leeds' most expensive defender following a £34.1m move from Italian side Sassuolo, replacing the long-serving Pascal Struijk, who joined Brighton for £20m.
Three months into a five-year contract and talk has quickly turned to how long Leeds can keep Muharemovic, such has been his impact since arriving from an impressive World Cup with Bosnia-Herzegovina.
There is already reported interest from Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in Muharemovic, who has earned praise for his no-nonsense approach to defending as well as his aerial presence at both ends of the pitch.
Grayson, who managed Leeds from 2008 to 2012, said he has proved a "rock-like" presence and a prolonged spell at Elland Road will benefit the player in the long run.
"I'm not daft enough to think he doesn't have aspirations to one day play for some of the biggest clubs in the world," Grayson told BBC Sport.
"But right now? Sometimes a player is at home with a certain club and I get that feeling with Muharemovic. I get the impression he loves Leeds, he loves the city and he loves the supporters."
Leeds head to Bournemouth on Saturday (15:00 GMT) with one of the best defensive records in the Premier League after conceding six goals and registering three clean sheets in their opening eight games.
Their new number five has made more headed clearances in the top-flight this season than anyone else, and three goal contributions (one goal, two assists) in 10 league and cup appearances.
Muharemovic is aerially dominant in both boxes, while there is a finesse to his technical skills, too, as shown by a backheeled assist to Dominic Calvert-Lewin for a goal against Newcastle.
"There were a lot of eyebrows raised when Leeds sold Struijk," former Leeds and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Sport.
"The biggest compliment you can pay Muharemovic is that nobody is talking about Struijk leaving."