OPINION
With Marcelo Bielsa in the dugout at Leeds United, the club have their sights firmly set on a return to the Premier League – and must back the new boss with signings to match their ambitions.
The Whites have started their summer slowly, with just Lewis Baker arriving, and after last season’s disappointment in the Championship, massive improvements are needed if they are going to get anywhere near the heights they want to be at.
Last summer saw a failed experiment of unproven talent arrive at Elland Road, and there must be a big change in tactic, with more experience of the English game an absolute necessity if they are to push for a top six finish – and West Ham could have the answer in the shape of Reece Oxford.
The 19-year-old centre back, who can also play in defensive midfield, spent last season on loan at Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach, and it seems as though his future at the club is in doubt.
Club insider ExWHUemployee, a reliable source of inside knowledge, claims that manager Manuel Pellegrini is running the rule over the youngster, leaving his immediate future up in the air.
Being assessed by Pellegrini at the moment before a decision is made https://t.co/jK7QQX9mEp
— ExWHUEmployee (@ExWHUEmployee) July 8, 2018
At 6’2″ (source: Transfermarkt), Oxford would be an imposing presence at the back for Leeds, and with Matthew Pennington gone after his loan spell, would be a perfect replacement for the Everton man.
He is a ball playing defender with great strength and technical ability, and would be a marked improvement on the limited capabilities that Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson have in their lockers; the duo powerful, but immobile.
If Leeds could seal a deal on loan, he could be a major asset in their hopes for a return to the Premier League, while any chance of a permanent deal – potentially in a loan-to-buy bid – would be a serious coup.