OPINION
Leeds United goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell was given something of a baptism of fire last season but managed to rise above and establish himself as the club’s number one shot stopper – even with Marcelo Bielsa’s arrival at Elland Road.
The 22-year-old has missed just one Championship game this season, his absence due to injury, but had it not been for the serious setback suffered by the on-loan Jamal Blackman, the Harrogate-born keeper could have been sitting on the bench heading into 2019.
That season-ending injury for Blackman has left Leeds with a lack of experienced options between the sticks, Will Huffer making his debut in Peacock-Farrell’s one and only missing game, and it should come as no surprise to hear the club are targeting a new back up goalkeeper.
Reliable journalist Alan Nixon wrote on his personal Twitter account that Bielsa “wants a cover keeper who is good with his feet,” and if Peacock-Farrell wants to stay in the senior side for the long term, it is an area of his game he has to improve on quite significantly.
As a 22-year-old it is understandable that the current number one has plenty to learn before he is a complete keeper but playing with the ball at his feet often has the Elland Road faithful with their hearts in their mouths.
It certainly does not come natural to Peacock-Farrell but if he wants to be the club’s first choice keeper under Bielsa, it appears to be a necessity.
You feel that if and when Peacock-Farrell drops out of the side it will take a minor miracle to see him return to the starting XI and while it a goalkeeper to cover him this January, the summer could see Bielsa seeking out a new number one.
Huge improvements are needed in possession from the Leeds man – or his future career at Elland Road will be a bleak one.