What seemed to be a fairytale in the making for Leeds United eventually turned out to be a painful scream of mediocre results as the Whites failed to capitalise on the fine pedestal they had carved for themselves earlier in the season.
Garry Monk did thrive ever since giving his consent to enter into the baptism of fire but failed to make his side cross the line. Failure to earn a playoff spot has indeed caused a lot of agony amongst the Leeds United faithful and quite rightly so.
However, one must not tend to forget that Monk has taken the club in a very positive direction. While overemphasising their failure in getting uplifted, the media and fans alike have undermined the progress which the former Swansea City manager has cultivated.
With Monk’s future being an unclear one at this stroke of hour, although reports have emerged that he is set to be offered a five-year contract extension, one of the first things he should have on his to-do list (if he extends his stay), would be to lure Kyle Bartley to the Elland Road on a permanent basis.
Bartley has been right at the heart of the defence of the Peacocks through and through, having garnered 45 appearances in the Championship in the season which just concluded for the club. In the process, he mustered 6 goals and 2 assists, apart from discharging his defensive duties meticulously by making 1.3 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 7.6 clearances and 1 block per game on an average.
He established a fine centre-back pairing with Pontus Jansson and has emerged as one of the most resilient defenders in the Championship. Moreover, he captained the side when Liam Bridcutt was absent owing to his injury and has thoroughly enhanced his ratings in the books of football fraternity.
Leeds United would be much more resolute in grabbing a promotion spot next season after coming so far and would unarguably need to keep Bartley in their ranks. He tackles well, never refrains from getting into the tight areas, gets forward to score goals when situations permits him and is an excellent reader of the game.
With his parent club Swansea City’s relegation being still a possibility, Leeds United must make a move to tempt him in the summer. The 25-year-old would be a significant addition to their armoury and would enable them in regrouping the side back from the scratch next season.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored.com
