Leeds United must prioritise the recruitment of a centre-back before the loan window shuts at the end of the month, according to Phil Hay.
The Yorkshire Evening Post correspondent, who has very close links to the Elland Road inner sanctum, reported that manager Marcelo Bielsa’s stance of bringing in a new defender will surely have changed following the team’s 2-2 Championship draw against Swansea City on Tuesday night.
Leeds struggled to contain an Oli McBurnie-led front line in the absence of injured duo Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson and Hay told his Twitter followers that a centre-half is “surely a priority” for the club in the next 10 days.
if Bielsa was resistant to the idea of signing a centre-half previously, he can’t be now. Surely a priority. #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) August 21, 2018
OPINION
Hay is spot on. Leeds were short in the centre-back department going into the new season after limited transfer market activity left them with just Jansson and Cooper as senior players in that position, supplemented by versatile full-backs Gaetano Berardi and Luke Ayling, and youngster Conor Shaughnessy. Berardi and Ayling paired up against an impressive Swansea attack and they struggled to contain the rangy and dangerous McBurnie, who put the home side ahead in the first half and led the front line impressively. Leeds need another centre-back who is experienced in that position, and preferably at Championship level, before the 31 August cut-off. It should not be forgotten that Jansson and Cooper have patchy injury histories and Berardi has been a red car waiting to happen for most of his combustible career. Bielsa might claim he is satisfied with the players he has, but surely a new centre-back must arrive imminently.