Leeds United are still leading the Championship tally, but persistent injury casualties have thwarted their progress. The necessity of winter spending was outlined by Marcelo Bielsa a few weeks back, and the Whites reacted sharply roping in custodian Kiko Casilla from Real Madrid.
While they are being linked with an array of names throughout the window, the latest rumour regarding Leeds’ interest in Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings must be an exciting one for the supporters. The Daily Mail (23/1, Page 65) has highlighted on a possible loan move for the rest of the season and the player, too, must welcome an offer having struggled to get enough minutes under Eddie Howe.
The 25-year-old defensive ace completed a high-profile switch at the South Coast from Ipswich Town back in the summer of 2015. But a horrific knee injury within weeks of his arrival sidelined him for more than a year which eventually saw him losing his place before he could get the chance to settle in.
At 6 ft 5 in, Mings is viewed as a towering central defender even though he had enormous success while being deployed as a left fullback during his Ipswich years. But he needs game-time desperately now that he is in his mid-twenties and is rumoured to be chased down by a host of second-tier sides including Aston Villa, West Brom, Nottingham Forest and Hull City.
The Cherries have recently roped in highly-rated Chris Mepham from Brentford. The transfer has further jeopardised Mings’ future at the Vitality which, in turn, has increased Leeds’ (or any other suitor to be honest) odds of lining up the Englishman before the end of the current month.
The Whites, meanwhile, are undergoing a crisis at the back amidst injuries to Gaetano Berardi and Barry Douglas. They also missed out on the services of Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper in the previous months and were forced to slot in Kalvin Phillips and Stuart Dallas in makeshift roles. Marcelo Bielsa was forced to bank on the academy prodigies Jamie Shackleton, Tom Pearce, Aapo Halme and Leif Davis on quite a few occasions to cope with the casualties and shallowness of his squad.
The inclusion of Mings should sort out their conundrum at the back as his versatility would be a massive bonus considering their current status. Leeds United are desperately chasing a Premier League return after years of pain, despair as well as agony, and must throw everything within the next few days to attain their season objectives. Although the gaffer is expecting multiple fitness boosts within the next couple of weeks; wrapping up Mings would hand them depth, quality as well as experience before entering the final months of their crunch campaign.
