Leeds United built their last promotion success on hard work as much as they did talent, although that's not to suggest the latter was in short supply.
Players like Pablo Hernandez, Kalvin Phillips and a firing Patrick Bamford underpinned a top-quality squad that dominated the Championship during their 2020 success in which Marcelo Bielsa was the mastermind behind it all.
However, one player who was ever-present during that historic season was Mateusz Klich, who offered an all-action bridge between defence and attack.
It was his energy in the engine room that proved vital to the philosophy of the Argentine, with the legendary coach even branding him as a player "who can play in all the best teams in the world".
With the Polish maestro having since departed, there has been a void left ever since. However, reports from earlier in June suggest that this could be set to change, as the 49ers eye an ambitious swoop to pry Gustavo Hamer from Coventry City.
How good is Gustavo Hamer?
The Dutch-Brazilian midfielder starred last term for the promotion-chasing Sky Blues, who were denied their Premier League promotion by a penalty shootout.
Operating largely as a box-to-box, or even defensive asset in their midfield, few could have predicted that the 26-year-old would prove so instrumental at both ends of the pitch, particularly with his goalscoring.
After all, his nine goals and ten assists in the league greatly influenced his 7.35 average rating, alongside a 73% pass accuracy, 1.8 key passes and 2.6 tackles per game, via Sofascore. This even omits his two goals in the playoffs too, emphasising his nature as a big-game player.
It is, therefore, no surprise to see a former teammate of his, Marko Marosi, effusive in his praise back in 2020. He likely foresaw the quality that was just waiting to be unleashed, stating: "Gustavo is unbelievable. He is a funny guy as well and a great character."
There was nothing that the midfield maestro could not do, and as such his rating saw him ranked as the third-best player in the whole of the Championship, and would even have been the joint-highest rated star when compared to Leeds' promotion squad.
To compare Hamer with Klich during Leeds' promotion campaign though, the similarities are there for all to see.
He too was neither solely an attacking force nor defensive stalwart, but instead a jack of all trades who had mastered some facets of the game.
His 7.07 average rating during the 2019/20 season was largely buoyed through similar figures to his potential successor, as he posted 11 goal contributions, an 81% pass accuracy, 1.8 key passes and 1.9 tackles per game all from midfield, via Sofascore.
Whilst valued at just €4.2m (£3.6m) by Football Transfers, it is expected that Hamer, the natural replacement for 33-year-old fan favourite, will likely cost more. However, with the well-documented financial troubles over the years in Coventry, the Yorkshire outfit could pounce to snatch one of the Championship's top performers.
