OPINION
Leeds United suffered when it came to their goalkeeping options last summer, and it looks as though Marcelo Bielsa is already trying to rectify the issues with both new signings and senior sales.
The Whites have already waved Felix Weidwald through the exit door with a move back to Germany, just a year after signing from Werder Bremen, and the Yorkshire Evening Post claim that Andy Lonergan is also set to be binned this summer as the Argentine boss wields the axe.
The 34-year-old’s exit would leave just Bailey Peacock-Farrell as the shot stopper with any senior experience, Kamil Miazek backing him up as second choice.
Football Insider have reported that Bielsa has made a loan offer for Birmingham City’s outcast keeper David Stockdale, but that the Blues have rejected their advances, despite the Championship veteran having been relegated to training with the youth team under Garry Monk.
It seemed a sensible move for all parties involved, Leeds getting a man with over 200 games in the Championship, Stockdale getting a move for first team action and Birmingham getting an unwanted player off their books – so just why it has not gone through only those at St Andrews know.
However, if Lonergan is truly on his way out, then the pursuit of someone like Stockdale is an absolute no brainer – and Leeds would be making a huge mistake if they pulled out of the hunt, as the Yorkshire Evening Post suggest.
A loan deal might have avoided the need for a transfer fee, but at 32 Stockdale still has a good couple of years in him, and could offer the Whites the experienced head they need over the coming seasons.
A fresh bid, this time a permanent offer, must be tabled, and any sort of transfer fee, no matter how nominal, should be enough to tempt Birmingham into selling.