Reports from the Yorkshire Evening Post convey that Leeds United were looking to sign Brighton and Hove Albion’s defender Ben White in the summer but Marcelo Bielsa asked the club to pull the plug on the deal as he was satisfied with the centre-backs he had at his disposal. This piece of news should disappoint the Whites fans as currently, United have only Liam Cooper available as the first choice centre-back as Gaetano Berardi, and Pontus Jansson are both out due to injuries.
The report clearly mentions that the board were keen on a centre-back as they felt they needed one to strengthen the backline. White had been on the fringes of the squad at Brighton and was a very achievable target for the Whites.
Bielsa has already suggested that he is not too keen on strengthening in the January window as well, but this time the board probably needs to be firm in their stance and make the gaffer understand the importance of a new signing especially in this thin and injury rummaged squad.
White is yet to make an appearance in the Premier League this season and is continuing playing with the reserve squad in the Premier League 2. However, he has two appearances to his name as Chris Hughton used him in the Carabao Cup tie.
White gained prominence when he moved to Newport County on loan (a fourth tier side), and after his impressive displays, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur were reportedly interested in him, but Brighton secured his future by getting him to sign a new three-year contract.
One can understand the talent of the player from the fact that top-tier clubs were also interested in him and we believe sitting four months into the season, Bielsa made a mistake by not going through with this move.
It is yet not clear how long Jansson is going to be out for, but United fans would be keeping their fingers crossed for when his scan reports come in to ascertain the severity of the injury. If things don’t go right, Cooper can probably partner with Conor Shaughnessy in the game after the international break and that pairing looks vulnerable.
Bielsa comes from the old school of football, and he tends to be a bit too rigid in his approach whether it’s with transfer policy or playing style. With such an excellent start to the season, United cannot afford to keep their intensity down, and injuries have already taken a toll on this squad. The Whites should renew their interest in this 21-year-old Brighton defender in January and bring him as a much-needed cover for the centre-back role.
