Leeds United are very much in the race to get into the Premier League with their stupendous form so far in the Championship. A new breeze has been blowing at the Elland Road under the tutelage of Garry Monk. Monk’s side is looking in a pretty good shape, though the Whites need to stay averse to cultivating any room for complacency as they enter into the business end of the league.
In order to maintain a stronghold in the Championship, Leeds United are linked with Celtic’s veteran defender Emilio Izaguirre to ensure there are no loopholes at the back and to engineer resilience into their side. With Leeds United plotting the move to bring Izaguirre, will it be beneficial for them in this season and beyond this?
Celtic are already the runaway leaders of the Scottish Premiership with a game in their hand. Under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers, Izaguirre has found opportunities hard to come by owing to the trust of the manager on Kieran Tierney in the left-back slot. The Honduras international is getting frustrated with his role as a deputy for the full-back role as he still has the mettle in him to be in the starting line-up for a quality side.
Monk has been using Charlie Taylor as the club’s first choice left-back so far this season but the 23-year-old’s contract also entered in its last six months and there are clouds of doubts hovering over his future. In a situation like this, it is important that Leeds United back their manager in bringing someone with experience like Izaguirre to create a core team as they push forward in their pursuits to reclaim their lost glory.
Despite being a senior pro, the 30-year-old could muster only a couple of appearances for Celtic, prior to Tierney’s ankle-ligament damage. Interestingly, he did put up commendable displays and impressed one and all to prove that he still has what it takes to ply his trade at the top level. The Celtic’s full-back enters into the final six months of his contract and this is when Leeds must capitalise on the opportunity.
Monk will need to create a blend between the experienced and young players. In Izaguirre, he will have someone who is very sound defensively, knows when to surge forward, tear up defences, challenge his opponents physically and is versatile enough as well. If the deal materialises, it would be a transfer which will benefit all the parties involved and help Leeds in keeping their form intact.
