Tyler Adams revealed how Leeds United won him over by presenting him with a detailed dossier on how the move would be the making of him.
United States World Cup star Adams has been a revelation for Leeds since joining in the summer in a £20million deal from RB Leipzig, starting all but one of their 14 Premier League games this season. The midfielder is in contention to be US captain at the World Cup and says he owes a debt of gratitude to Leeds for giving him the chance to take his game to another level.
Adams, who will be a key player for the US in Qatar, paid tribute to Leeds sporting director Victor Orta and the attention to detail he put into bringing the 23-year-old to Elland Road.
“Leeds and Victor caught me off guard, with how much they knew about me,” said Adams. “The research that they did, they basically did a full 30-page powerpoint presentation of statistics and how I can thrive in the Premier League.
“Victor gave me a lot of feedback on my game, where I can improve, also where I can have an instant impact and he continues to push me.
“When I had conversations with Leeds to go there, they knew a lot about me as a player and that excited me a lot, so as soon as I got there, I hit the ground running.
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“Just from a confidence perspective from the people who wanted to sign me and the style of play is obviously very suited to the way I want to play football, so it’s helped me develop a lot.
“Playing 90 minutes, week-in, week-out you have a lot to do. You can make mistakes, you can learn from them, you have confidence in your own ability, you’re able to find your form, so it’s an exciting time at Leeds for me.”
Adams, who signed off for the World Cup break with a red card in Leeds’ 4-3 defeat at Tottenham, said the move to England was the fulfilment of a long-held ambition.
“Growing up, all I watched was the Premier League,” said Adams “So when that opportunity came up, especially at the end of last season, I was ready to leave and have a new opportunity, a new journey, write a new chapter in my book”
United States open their campaign against Wales on Monday, with Adams revealing coach Gregg Berhalter has provided his squad with a detailed analysis of their style of play.
“The Wales style of play is very distinctive,” said Adams. “We’ve watched a lot of videos of them already, so we’re very familiar with their attacking players and the threat they bring.”
