Leeds United could make a January swoop for Birmingham City goalkeeper David Stockdale – and it would be an easy deal to seal, according to Leeds Live.
The Reach site claim the Yorkshire giants are set to be in the market for a new shot-stopper in the winter window after Jamal Blackman broke his leg last Friday and returned to parent club Chelsea.
Leeds Live report United came close to landing Stockdale over the summer but the plug was pulled on the deal and now “he is likely to be available again so could be one of the easier deals to complete in January”.
Good move for Leeds?
Stockdale is a proven performer at Championship and, indeed Premier League level. For good measure, he is a lifelong Leeds fan who was born and bred in the city. Certainly, his record at Brighton was outstanding and he was a key player in their promotion campaign of two years ago. But, there must be a question mark or two over him, as the Seagulls were willing to lose him, and he is not in the first-team picture at middling second-tier outfit Birmingham, managed by ex-Leeds boss Garry Monk. This is a deal that makes total sense for Leeds following Blackman’s horror injury, although there will be trepidation that Stockdale has not been playing.
This Is Futbol rating 6/10
Likely to happen?
There is a good possibility, yes. Birmingham were not as accommodating over the terms of the deal in the summer as Leeds had hoped, but Stockdale has not been playing – bar a short emergency loan at Southend United – and they are going to be even keener now to get him off their wage bill. Should Leeds push hard enough, this should be relatively easy to do, although much will depend upon how much Bielsa wants him.
This Is Futbol rating 7/10