According to the reports from Triveneto Goal as cited by Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United are fighting with Premier League outfit Brighton and Hove Albion for the signature of Inter Milan defender Ryan Nolan. The Italian heavyweights highly rate the defender as he captained their u-19 side last season.
It is not clear whether Leeds United are looking to sign the 20-year-old permanently or on loan. We think that after the departure of Pontus Jansson, they should look for a permanent transfer. Moreover, they already have a young and promising defender on loan in the form of Ben White. Therefore going in for another one wouldn’t make much sense.
Serie C side Triestina Calcio are also said to be interested. Nolan made 42 appearances for the u-19 side last season, and he has also been an u-18 Ireland international.
Does Leeds United need Nolan?
The Whites desperately need to add a new centre back to their roster after the departure of Jansson. The club only has Gaetano Berardi and Liam Cooper as the two senior centre back. Ben White is highly rated, but he is yet to be tested at a higher level.
Ideally, we would like the club to sign an experienced and proven defender at the Championship level. Nolan is going to be another signing with potential, and there are no guarantees that he would hit the ground running straight away.
However, something would be better than nothing. So if Leeds United are not eyeing a move for any other defender, then they should try to push for a move for Nolan to add depth and competition for places. The fact that he is the captain of the u-19 Inter Milan side suggests that he is a top talent and the Whites might want to bring in a long term option to replace Jansson.
Can Leeds United get him?
With Brighton in the mix, one might feel that Leeds United could be the second favourites here to land the Irish defender. However, for any young player, Leeds United are currently one of the best clubs to join as we have seen how Bielsa is willing to give the youngsters a go in the first team.
That has also been Bielsa’s downfall sometimes as he is often relying too much on these young players to deliver on big occasions. However, one cannot deny the number of youngsters who have seen first-team action in the past year. Therefore Nolan should strongly consider a move for Leeds United as he is more likely to get first-team chances.
