According to one of the latest reports from the Birmingham Mail, Championship outfit Leeds United have put Aston Villa’s centre-back Tommy Elphick on their radar. The defender is believed to be ready to leave Villa Park this summer, and apart from the Whites, other English second tier outfits like Birmingham City and Sunderland are also keen to lure him to their ranks.
The Villans have made some decent signings already this summer to beef up their defence, with John Terry and Christopher Samba already acquired to ensure that they tighten their screws at the back. This implies that Steve Bruce is going to have Terry, Samba, James Chester, Micah Richards and of course, Elphick. The options Bruce has to slot into the heart of his defence looks really galvanizing and to cut his squad numbers down, Elphick is seemingly likely to be the one to be shown the exit door.
One of the most intriguing aspects about Leeds United in their last campaign was the manner in which Kyle Bartley and Pontus Jansson had gelled together and discharged their functions in a shrewd manner. However, despite having managed to sign Jansson permanently, Bartley returned to his parent club Swansea City after he impressed during his loan spell with the West Yorkshire based club. The Peacocks are still vouching for a quality central defender with experience in the Championship and someone like Elphick perfectly fits their bill.
Elphick emerged through the youth ranks of Brighton & Hove Albion, and was later promoted to the senior side of the Seagulls and carved a name in the good books of the football fraternity. His consequential moves to Bournemouth and Aston Villa yielded substantial dividends and apart from being a resolute defender, he did show his exemplary leadership skills and is still considered a valuable asset in English football. More than anything else, having a leader like him should really enable in helping Thomas Christiansen’s men in marauding forward.
Last season with the Lions, the 29-year-old accumulated 26 appearances under his belt but wasn’t trusted much during the business end of the season. Of late, it is perceived that he isn’t in Bruce’s plans for the upcoming season, and thus, an exit might be on the cards. Nonetheless, he is far from being an obsolete asset and with a move to the ranks of Christiansen, he can form a decent partnership with Jansson and help Leeds United in earning a return to the promised land of Premier League.
