Leeds United signed Kiko Casilla in January, and that was seen as a massive coup by the Whites in the transfer market. He impressed initially with his on the ball qualities and some smart saves as well. However, his time at Elland Road soon went downhill as he made strange errors by coming out of his line in crunch games. In the end, that cost the Whites dearly, and they missed out on promotion once again.
Casilla is likely to continue as the no. 1 in goal for the club in the upcoming season, but it will be fair to say that a lot of fans would be sceptical about him. The Spanish goalkeeper has the ability to thrive in the Championship, but he needs to improve on his decision making and communication skills.
How can Bielsa take advantage of this player’s exit?
Not too long ago, reports (The Mirror) had emerged that Burnley will target Bailey Peacock-Farrell as a possible backup option to Nick Pope. The Clarets also have Tom Heaton and Joe Hart at their disposal, but they will be allowed to leave the club.
We think that the Whites should assess the opportunity of this situation. They should involve someone like Joe Hart in the deal if Peacock-Farrell goes the other way. Ideally, Tom Heaton would be a better option, but he is likely going to be out of bounds as Burnley have set a £12m price tag on him.
Why will Joe Hart be a smart acquisition?
The two-time Premier League winner has been struggling in the last few years, but he still has some football left in him. He is 32, which is a ripe age for a goalkeeper. Bailey Peacock-Farrell would hardly challenge Kiko Casilla for a first-team spot and someone like Hart is more likely to push Casilla.
Moreover, the Englishman might be keen to prove himself after his fall from grace and Leeds United can present him with an opportunity to do that.
Hart made 21 appearances for Burnley last season. However, once the likes of Tom Heaton and Nick Pope became fit, the 75 times England international was always going to find it hard to get game time.
The Shrewsbury born goalkeeper’s experience of playing at the biggest of stages will come in handy for Bielsa. If he can find his bearings, then he can even be an upgrade over Casilla next season. Therefore our advice to the Whites would be to use Peacock-Farrell to get Hart at Elland Road.
