A playoff heartbreak last season saw Leeds United missing out on a long-pending Premier League return despite enjoying a blistering start to their 2018-19 season. They are now one of the prime promotion contenders under Marcelo Bielsa’s tutelage, but the Whites must bolster the squad to avoid a downfall as it had happened during the culmination of the previous campaign.
While Leeds have been firm favourites to rope in Helder Costa from Wolverhampton Wanderers, the latest odds (via Sky Bet ) suggests Aston Villa’s interest in the Portuguese attacker. The Claret and Blue are already after Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips (as claimed by The Telegraph) to strengthen the midfield and are now backed to rival the Yorkshire heavyweights for the 25-year-old ex-Benfica prodigy.
Sky Bet have slashed the odds to 6/4 keeping the Villans on par with Leeds United in the chase of Costa. There cannot be any doubt that the return to Premier League for Villa would boost their chances even more in securing his services.
They have already tied down Kortney Hause on a permanent deal after he impressed on loan (from Wolves) last season and the Portugal international might become the second player to make the Midlands switch to replace the recently released Albert Adomah.
Villa’s interest must be a worrying sign for the Whites who require significant reinforcements to retain their rhythm and deal with the injury woes while featuring twice a week to meet the demand of the Championship calendar. Pablo Hernandez, in his mid-thirties, struggled to maintain the same intent all season and the gaffer, therefore, would prefer to have someone with experience and expertise to feature down the wide areas.
A promising spell in the second tier convinced Wolves to make Costa’s loan move permanent in a then club-record fee. He played a crucial role in their 2017–18 EFL Championship triumph and continued to feature as a first-team regular under Nuno Espirito Santo until December. A dip in form had seen him lose his place and a transfer looks imminent now as he has unfollowed the official club account on social media.
While Leeds are eyeing a season-long loan for the winger, Villa have popped up as a more viable destination with the attraction of top-flight football. But a transfer to Elland Road would offer Leeds more flexibility high up the pitch allowing Bielsa to build their attack around the Portuguese.
