Leeds United have now been linked (The Sun) with Newcastle United’s custodian Karl Darlow for weeks, and with the transfer window officially opening in just a few days, it would be interesting to see whether this interest would transpire into something meaningful in the next few days.
If we are to believe Phil Hay of Yorkshire Evening Post then it is very likely that United would look to do this deal early in January and the 28-year-old goalkeeper is firmly on the radar of the club as he is the first choice option at the moment.
This should come as good news for the Whites as not too long ago it was being reported (Nottingham Post) that Nottingham Forest would try to do business for the Newcastle goalie and we still weren’t sure of how keen the Whites would be on Darlow. Now that they really want him in January, we expect them to pull off this move.
We believe Newcastle United wouldn’t have any qualms in letting the custodian leave as Rafael Benitez has Martin Dubravka at his disposal. The Magpies signed the Slovakian goalkeeper on loan in January and Benitez went on to sign him on a permanent basis in the summer. Ever since the introduction of Dubravka, Darlow has lost his place and has been on the bench so far this season.
Benitez also has the likes of Freddie Woodman and Rob Elliot at his disposal. Therefore, keeping hold of Darlow doesn’t make sense. Given Leeds United’s current league position, they should have the edge over Nottingham Forest even though Forest were Darlow’s former club.
Bielsa might have earlier played down (Leeds Live) the notion of United doing any business in January, but they really do need an experienced goalkeeper. Bailey Peacock Farrell again made a mistake as he wasn’t able to keep out Chalie Mulgrew’s free-kick which gave Blackburn a 2-1 lead. The Whites rescued all three points by securing a 3-2 victory but Bielsa should definitely be worried about Peacock Farrell’s performance.
The Whites have struggled with their goalkeeping option for quite some time now, and even last year, Felix Weidwald was behind some major howlers which cost the team dear. Darlow might cost around £4m, but he can solve their goalkeeping woes for years to come. Even until last season, the Englishman was a regular in the Premier League for Newcastle United, and he was only removed from the no. 1 spot when Dubravka came in January.
With just a few days remaining in the transfer period to begin, the Whites are likely to get a piece of good news early as they seem to be in line to pull off a deal for Darlow at the moment.
