Sporadic form in the business end of the season has ensured that Leeds United squandered an excellent opportunity to grab a play-off spot in the Championship. It has been agonisingly painful for the Whites faithful to see their team collapsing right when it did matter the most and they will have to endure another season in the second tier of English football.
Apart from their lacklustre performances, Leeds United have some other key issues to address as well. Garry Monk has undoubtedly carved a very fine season for his side, considering the fact that they were caught in the doldrums of mediocrity last season. The former Swansea City manager has hit the right chords more often than not, but his future at the Elland Road is still under immense doubt as he failed to make his troops grab a top-six finish.
However, another headache for the West Yorkshire based club would be to replace their promising left-back, Charlie Taylor. The 23-year-old’s contract expires in the summer and despite repeated attempts from the club, he is adamant that he wants to leave in the summer, which implies that Leeds United would have a daunting task ahead of them of filling his shoes. They would need to fire next season if they are to lift themselves and have to start assessing some targets to nullify the anticipated void.
One of the players who could be vouched as a replacement is West Bromwich Albion’s Sebastien Pocognoli. Pocognoli was shipped to the Championship outfit, Brighton & Hove Albion, and has garnered an impressive spell with the Seagulls, contributing a fair share in their promotion this season. The Belgian’s contract expires in the summer and this could be the impetus needed to sign him once the curtains of the summer transfer window get lifted.
A player with a well-constructed physique, the 29-year-old has the requisite technical edge, reads the game well and is aerially very sound. Besides, he is a threat for the opponents during the set-pieces, loves to put crosses into the ball and has enough pace in his legs to run up and down the pitch effectively. He loves to work hard and his loan move to the American Express community Stadium has yielded substantial dividends as well.
In 19 appearances for Chris Hughton’s outfit this season in the Championship, Pocognoli has scored a goal and registered an assist to his name so far and has also cultivated 1.5 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 3.9 clearances and 0.2 blocks per game on an average. He has shown fine testaments, time and again, of being a modern day fullback of a staggering calibre and could very well be the answers to the problems at the Elland Road.
