Bailey Peacock Farrell’s performance in the last month wouldn’t have given much confidence to the manager and Leeds United fans. It would not be wrong to speculate that Jamal Blackman would have had a decent chance of getting into the first eleven after the international break. However, that is not going to happen now as the Chelsea loanee broke his tibia and had to undergo surgery. That leave the Whites with only Peacock Farrell as the plausible option, and we feel the club needs to bring in a goalkeeper in January to fix this situation.
Will Huffer and Kamil Miazek are next in line to get into the matchday squad, but both are inexperienced and are yet to make a senior appearance so far. A goalkeeper is one of the most underrated and important positions on the pitch, and a top goalkeeper gives the whole defence a lot of confidence. Here are three options which Bielsa can consider in January.
Tom Heaton
The Burnley stopper has already been linked (By Hull Daily Mail) with a move to Elland Road, and he would be a massive upgrade over someone like Peacock Farrell. The 32-year-old has been hard done by injuries of late, and even though he was the captain of his side until last season, Heaton has had to warm the benches because of the emergence of Nick Pope (previous season) and Joe Hart this term.
However, it might be interesting to see if Sean Dyche would be willing to sell the English custodian leave as someone like Pope is likely to generate interest from some of the top clubs when he is fit. However, a loan spell in January is what the Whites should strive for to consolidate at the back.
Rob Elliot
The Irish stopper is currently the third choice goalkeeper at St. James’ Park behind Martin Dubrava and Karl Darlow. However, for a brief period last season he was a regular for the Magpies in goal before Benitez brought in Dubravka on loan. Since then, Elliot has found it hard to get into the first eleven, but we believe the custodian is good enough to play for quite a few clubs. United should definitely try to get him on a permanent basis, and the 32-year-old is a very attainable target.
David Stockdale
The goalkeeper was linked (By Yorkshire Evening Post) with a move to United in the summer, but the move didn’t go through. However, it’s clear the Birmingham City want to offload him as he was recently on an emergency loan with Southend United. The 32-year-old has experience of playing in the Championship and the Premier League and should be a decent bet for the Whites.
