OPINION
This summer was always going to be a hairy one for Leeds United supporters.
Their talented centre-back, Pontus Jansson, was seemingly putting himself in line for a move to a Premier League club this summer, ahead of what he hoped would be a successful World Cup with Sweden.
It started off well for Jansson as well after illness to Victor Lindelof gifted him a starting berth in their first game against South Korea.
Jansson looked impressive and helped keep a clean sheet, but that was the sum of his playing time in Russia, barring a very short cameo with the game already lost against England in the quarter-finals.
For Leeds fans that was a pretty good result. It wasn’t enough to put him on the radar of any Premier League clubs and it looked like his Premier League ambitions would rest with new Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa for the foreseeable future.
However, in a shot across the bows on Wednesday, Swedish outlet Expressen claimed that there was “concrete interest” in the player from recently relegated side West Brom.
It would seem absurd that Leeds would even entertain a move from a Championship rival for a player that will be so important to them next season.
However, West Brom have cash. They will be selling a number of players with relegation clauses and they will get a hefty parachute payment from the Premier League.
They’ll be looking to bounce straight back up and they’ve obviously targeted Jansson as a key component to Darren Moore’s side.
It’s fair to say that if Jansson left it would be a disaster for Leeds.
Despite being linked with a move for former loanee Kyle Bartley, that doesn’t look like happening. Ironically, he’s being linked with West Brom too. And that only leaves Jansson and Liam Cooper as recognised centre-backs.
If there is any truth to the West Brom rumours, new manager Marcelo Bielsa must shut them down immediately, no matter how much money is on offer.
It’s fair to say that his hopes of a play-off place would lie in tatters of they were to sell one of their key players to such a big and direct rival.
Bielsa obviously has power in Elland Road and he must make sure that nothing happens to Jansson. He must convince the Swede that his Premier League ambitions lie with Leeds and not in the midlands.