Leeds United’s centre-back situation is going to be one of the biggest things on the mind of manager Marcelo Bielsa this summer.
It doesn’t matter which league the Whites find themselves in, the Argentine just has to get it right in the transfer market if they are to have any form of reasonable success.
The first factor is the loss of Brighton and Hove Albion loan star Ben White, who has been a sensation at the back this campaign.
He has featured in every single league game, contributing to Leeds earning the most clean sheets of any team in the Championship with 17 – four more than anyone else.
The 22-year-old has been a perfect fit for Bielsa’s system, averaging three clearances, 2.3 interceptions and 1.7 tackles defensively whilst also managing 55.3 passes per game at an accuracy rate of 85.3%, per WhoScored.
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Another factor is the fact that Gaetano Berardi appears set to leave the club following the expiry of his contract this summer, despite notching 11 clean sheets in just 17 appearances.
Therefore, there’s a massive void to fill.
Leeds have been linked to Middlesbrough centre-back Daniel Ayala recently, a player that Victor Orta knows all too well from his time in the northeast and is said to be a fan.
Where is he from?! Can you name which obscure countries these famous players have represented?
This is a move that they should absolutely steer well clear of, especially if they do end that 16-year wait for top-flight football.
At 29, the Spaniard is showing serious signs of being past his best days particularly as he can’t stay fit – he’s managed just play 25 times this term and hasn’t even been seen since their New Year’s Day victory over Preston North End.
From those appearances in the Championship this season, the long-serving Boro man has only managed to average 1.2 tackles and interceptions each match and is some way off being the sort of ball-playing centre-back Bielsa would be after – managing only 28.1 passes per game at a paltry 73.4% success rate, via WhoScored.
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He’s far from the sort of player that Leeds should be targeting, even more so given his lack of experience in the Premier League having played just 26 times with the last appearance coming back in 2016/17.
Ayala isn’t fit to lace White’s boots going by the numbers above and thus isn’t going to be the man to fill the gigantic void he’ll soon leave behind.
AND in other news, Noel Whelan urges Leeds to sign PL struggler…
