Leeds United have started their season brightly, but they faced a stumbling block in the form of Swansea City who handed them their first defeat of the season in the Championship. Losing right before the international break is never ideal as the players would often want to go on the pitch soon to get the previous loss out of the system.
United unlikely to go after this summer target in January
The Whites meanwhile had an okayish transfer window as they let go of some of their crucial players like Kemar Roofe and Pontus Jansson. They managed to bring in some impressive talents, but the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Ben White are only on loan. Another player which the Whites were linked with was Inter Milan’s youth team centre back Ryan Nolan.
There is likely going to be no revisit for the defender in the future as Nolan sealed a deal to Serie C outfit Arezzo permanently. Nolan made 42 appearances for the u-19 side last season, and he was their captain. However, the fact that the defender has been sold permanently to a third-tier outfit suggests that the Whites took the right call by not going after Nolan this summer.
The Irish defender was even attracting interest from Brighton and Hove Albion, but maybe the early closure of the English transfer window didn’t help his cause.
The performance of Ben White so far has been a big positive for the Yorkshire outfit as the youngster has looked calm and assured at the back. There was a lot of concern after the departure of Pontus Jansson who can be considered as one of the best defenders in the Championship. However, Bielsa seems to have it well covered as the signing of White looks like a gem at the moment.
How Bielsa is going to solve defensive problems?
With just three outright centre backs at the club, one might feel that there could be a need for another one in the roster. But Bielsa is likely to turn towards the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Luke Ayling if there are injury or suspension issues for the three centre backs.
The fact that Nolan was the captain of the u-19 side suggested that he seemed to have a big future at Inter Milan. However, maybe the youngster chose to drop down two divisions is because he wanted regular game time at the senior level. In any case, the Whites are unlikely to revisit this target in January, and right now we think that it isn’t too big a blow for the club. This is especially true after the performance of Ben White.
