Leeds United will be looking for a new beginning under Marcelo Bielsa after finishing 13th in the last campaign. The Whites are in need of some stability as they sacked two managers in the span of four months. They will be looking to add more potent players to the squad and will hope that the veteran manager can guide them towards greater glory.
The Peacocks will need to add reinforcements to the squad if they want to come close to challenging for a playoff spot. One of the positions which require immediate attention is that of a goalkeeper. The Whites have parted ways with their German stopper Felix Wiedwald after just one season and they have a relatively inexperienced goalkeeper in Bailey Peacock Farrell who was promoted to the first team last season.
They have recently been linked with a move for David Stockdale who currently plays for Birmingham City. Reportedly, the 32-year-old stopper recently took part in the club’s training session which suggests that he might be in Garry Monk’s plans for the upcoming season.
However, Monk recently talked about Stockdale’s situation and said,” When I came in here there was a huge amount of players contracted to the club from a first-team perspective, that’s No. 1. I have to really cut that down, that’s very excessive. The second part of that is you have to assess the comings and goings.”
He further added,”You have to assess which ones I feel I want to give the opportunity to go forward with and which ones not. Everyone that is involved in all of that process is very clear, they have been told – that’s my job, to make those decisions and do it with conviction. All the players I don’t see in terms of going forward have been told, David is one of them.”
The Whites will certainly have renewed hopes now that the Birmingham City manager has given a clear indication that he doesn’t see Stockdale as part of his long terms plan for the club. However, it is still not certain whether Monk will let the 32-year-old leave this summer or sometime in the future.
The Whites cannot afford to wait much longer as they need to start preparing for the upcoming season and having the no. 1 goalkeeper position sorted should be one of the topmost priority for the club. Peacock Farrell is still relatively young and he is still learning the trade. Having an experienced goalkeeper like Stockdale will do the Whites a world of good and they shouldn’t wait anymore to make a move for him in the summer transfer market.
