According to latest reports, Birmingham City goalkeeper, David Stockdale could become Leeds United‘s first signing of the summer. The Whites have been linked with quite a few players over the past month but as long as the new manager didn’t come in, they couldn’t have gone ahead with their signings. Now that Marcelo Bielsa is at the helm of the club, we can expect some action in the transfer market in the coming month.
The Whites are in need of defensive reinforcements and they must be looking to bring in competition for the young stopper Bailey Peacock -Farrell. There were reports that The Whites will look to sign Stockdale on a permanent basis but some reports now suggest that they can get him on a season-long loan deal with a view to make the deal permanent in future.
Bielsa recently explained how the transfer process will happen and he said,”In terms of the transfer process, I get names from (director of football) Victor Orta, I then give my opinion on them. If we arrive at an agreement and are on the same page moving forward, that’s when the process starts.”
It looks like the veteran manager has given the green signal to sign Stockdale and it is likely that he could be the first transfer acquisition under the Argentine tactician.
The West Yorkshire outfit struggled with goalkeeping options as Felix Wiedwald failed to live up to expectation in his first season. He was the first choice starter when the season began but later the Whites went on to promote their youth product Peacock-Farrell to the first team. Weidwald, meanwhile, has been shown the door by the club and he has gone on to join Eintracht Frankfurt.
21-year-old Peacock-Farrell still needs to improve his game and the signing of Stockdale will certainly bring good comeptition for places. It remains to be seen whether the new manager will opt for more experienced Stockdale or will stick with the youngster.
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The Birmingham City goalkeeper joined the Blues last season only and was regular for them at the back having made 39 appearances in all competitions. He managed 7 cleansheets and with a more decent defensive unit in front of him, the number could have been higher. It will be interesting to see whether the Peacocks can get their man on a permanent deal or not, but having a solid experienced option at the back is certainly a step in the right direction.
