Leeds United might have succumbed in their League Cup clash against Leicester City as the former Premier League champions secured a 3-1 win at the King Power Stadium but the extension of the contract of Pontus Jansson was one of the positive news to have emerged from Elland Road this week. Jansson has signed a new five-year deal which will keep him at the club until the end of 2021-22 season.
The Swedish international joined the Whites last season and played an instrumental role under the tutelage of Garry Monk as he injected resilience to the backline of the club. Although Leeds United failed to churn out a top-six finish for themselves in the previous campaign, he was officially signed by them, owing to his impressive performances, for £3.5million in the summer. Frankly speaking, it was a no-brainer for Leeds to sign him permanently.
The steering wheel rests in the hands of Thomas Christiansen now and under his stewardship, the Peacocks have collected 23 points from their first 13 games in the Championship and are currently placed at the 4th spot in the league table. Prior to their 3-0 away win against Bristol City, Leeds United had lost three games on trot, and Jansson was one of the players who failed to deliver as per their potential.
His poor form forced Christiansen to drop him on the bench and hand Matthew Pennington a place in the starting line-up at the heart of his defensive tactical nous against the Robins. The centre-back has indeed seen a dip in his productivity after seeing his loan move converted into a permanent one. In the 10 Championship appearances so far this season, he has carved 1.9 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 8.8 clearances and 1.2 blocks per game on an average.
The way Jansson has read the game this season hasn’t been top notch and he is capable of inking better outings than he has. Nonetheless, he is indeed a quality player who has plenty of experience under his belt and has the traits of a genuine leader at the back. Tall, strong and powerful, the 26-year-old is good in the air, makes shrewd tackles and interceptions and is someone who isn’t generally afraid of getting into tight situations.
Ever since his move from Torino, Leeds United’s fans see him as their cult-hero and obviously, a lot of responsibilities lie on his shoulders. Now that he has been awarded an extension, despite his dodgy form of late, it would be important for him to up the ante and start delivering adequately whenever he is handed the chance to thrive.
