Leeds United have already started sorting out their squad for the next season as they recently secured some signings in a jiffy. One of them is Brighton And Hove Albion defender Ben White who has joined on a season-long loan. The defender spent the second half of last season on loan with Peterborough United.
The defender might be coming from a Premier League club, but he doesn’t have much experience of playing at the top level as he only has two senior appearances for Brighton which came in the EFL Cup. Apart from Peterborough, White’s other experience has come in League Two for Newport County.
Jansson’s future in the air?
We don’t really see White being a first-team option for the next season at Leeds United. However, the club probably brought him as contingency plan as Pontus Jansson is being linked with a move away from the club. Recently reports from Daily Telegraph football news correspondent Matt Law, as cited by Daily Star, suggests that the Swedish defender is attracting interest from Fulham.
The Cottagers will look to get back to the Premier League straight away after enduring a disappointing campaign in the Premier League the last time around. Jansson is an experienced player at the Championship, and he is an excellent option to consider.
Should the Whites be concerned with Fulham’s interest?
There is no doubt to us that Leeds United are currently in a better position to move to the Premier League next season than Fulham. The defender though has just 12 months left on his contract so the club might be tempted to cash in on him. It remains to be seen whether Bielsa would trust him at the back for the next season.
Bielsa might prefer Berardi over Jansson
When the last season started, Gaetano Berardi and Liam Cooper were the preferred centre back partnership for the Whites. Jansson only started regularly featuring when Berardi suffered a long term injury. Therefore it remains to be seen whether Jansson will be the first choice for the next season.
Bielsa had preferred Berardi in the second leg of the playoffs against Derby County even though Jansson was available. So even there was an indication that the Argentine manager might prefer Berardi when he becomes a hundred percent fit. Jansson is an impressive defender, but one cannot overlook the fact that he is prone to errors and rash decision making on occasions. Moreover, some might feel that Berardi is better with the ball at his feet.
The signing of White wasn’t really an utmost priority as we saw last season how someone like Aapo Halme did well at the back. Kalvin Phillips can also play in defence though Bielsa wouldn’t prefer to go that way often. Jansson has always been very vocal about how much he loves Leeds United. However, there have been few indications now that he could be shipped away in this window, especially after the new signing.
