Prior to the start of the new season, there were optimistic murmurs that Leeds United would be willing to offer some first-team chances to their promising young goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell. It was a summer of changes at the Elland Road, for a lot of ramifications were made.
Despite the exit of veteran custodian, Robert Green, to Huddersfield Town, Peacock-Farrell’s chances under the tutelage of Thomas Christiansen were dented with the arrivals of Andy Lonergan and Felix Wiedwald. Brought from the ranks of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Lonergan possesses a reliable and safe pair of hands and is someone who had proven his mettle in the Championship.
Wiedwald was prised out of Weserstadion after a couple of decent seasons with German outfit Werder Bremen. As a result, Peacock-Farrell dropped down in the pecking order and has been sent on a one-month loan deal to York City and the National League North club handed him last week. The Minstermen led 2-0 against Leamington, but things turned woeful for them right at the end.
Peacock-Farrell conceded a couple of goals in the final five minutes as the Leamington chiselled a draw. Nonetheless, the 20-year-old was impressive for the major chunk of the game, but then, it needs to be underlined that he still has some rough edges which are needed to be polished so that he can challenge for the goalkeeping role in the starting line-up of the Whites.
The starlet is a tall lad and his height offers him the advantage of dealing with the crosses and long rangers. He is a good shot-stopper from the close range and has showcased his stupendous reflexes during his games with the youth sides. Besides, he is someone who looks for short passes instead of kicking the ball long and reads the attacking endeavours of the opposition pretty well.
Generally, goalkeepers reach their prime in the later stages of their career and given the age of Peacock-Farrell and the calibre he possesses, it would not be absurd to say that he could be a regular player for the Yorkshire based outfit in the near future. During the summer, he was handed a new three-year deal, thus tying him down with Leeds United until the summer of 2020.
Loan spells do help the youngsters in brushing themselves and Christiansen should look forward to shipping him out in the January transfer window. He needs to accumulate experience and acclimatize himself with the animosity which the game offers and to take his development process to its next stage, a loan deal for the second half of the season would be crucial.
