Leeds United’s tumultuous season hit another snag after their first-choice right-back, Luke Ayling went down with a season-ending injury on New Year’s Day. The Whites are trying to address the issue by signing Giovanni Troupée from FC Utrecht on a loan deal for the remainder of the season.
The 19-year-old youngster is an attacking minded fullback with a dominant right foot and is a product of the Utrecht youth academy. His contract is tied down until the summer of 2021 with the Dutch outfit and has appeared 18 times this season. He can switch on either of the flanks and played on the left side in the 1-1 draw against Feyenoord last night.
Christiansen could decide to call Bryce Hosannah up to the first-team if the deadline comes and goes without a new face coming in, but it appears that the Leeds boss is also considering making a move to sign Troupee on loan.
Gaetano Berardi started off the season as a make-shift left-back after the departure of Charlie Taylor but now that the club has found a replacement through Laurens De Bock, the 29-year-old can resume his duties on the right. Troupee is being considered as a backup option now that the squad has almost no depth defensively with Matthew Pennington’s contract set to end after this season. The Peacocks are looking to sign him on a permanent deal from his parent club, Everton.
Leeds are currently struggling in the second division of English football having lost 3 of their last 4 games and making a steep drop to the 10th spot of the points table. The defensive backline of Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson has been impressive but the former’s second sending off this season is a cause of concern among the club ranks. The fans at Elland Road were left shell-shocked when Millwall slotted in the two late goals to snatch away the crucial win from their club.
What started out to be one of the best chances of pushing for a promotion has turned into a dark and disappointing campaign for Thomas Christiansen who is struggling with a lack of attacking threat from the side. The striker force has failed to convert the all-important chances on goal and it looks like the final stretch of the season will not improve until and unless they sign a proven goalscorer by the end of January.
Troupee’s addition will give them the all-important boost they need but with three other Serie A outfits interested in the youngster’s services can Christiansen sign him up on such short notice?
