OPINION
Leeds United must swoop for Leicester City full-back Danny Simpson as he would be the perfect addition to their squad for the second half of the season.
The Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday that the 31-year-old right-back is facing an exit from the Foxes in Jan as the club may be willing to listen to offers for him given the fact his contract is set to expire in the summer.
Simpson has struggled to be part of Claude Puel’s plans this season, appearing for only 92 minutes in the Premier League so far, and given that according to the newspaper’s report the manager is ready to offload some players then the right-back is definitely at risk.
This must see Leeds spring into action as Simpson would be the perfect addition for several reasons.
Firstly the defender, who earns £45,000-a-week currently (Source: Spotrac), is a proven, reliable right-back who can aid Leeds’ cause.
Simpson won the Premier League title with Leicester City and has proven in his 209 appearances in the top-flight that he is able to mix it up with the best of them.
Marcelo Bielsa could do with a new right-back given that the position has given him a few problems this season, the Leeds boss has played several players on his right-flank due to the likes of Luke Ayling and Gaetano Berardi being sidelined with injuries.
Also another reason why Simpson would be the ideal January recruit is that he not only has Premier League experience to aid Leeds’ cause if they win promotion, but he has played 94 times in the Championship so knows all about life in England’s second-tier.
This will see him not only able to instantly hit the ground running upon joining but able to led his wisdom to the untested Premier League players in the Whites’ squad if promotion does beckon.
Finally the other reason why he would be the perfect addition is that he is unlikely to be too taxing on Leeds’ transfer budget.
This is especially the case as not only are Leicester reportedly open to offers, they know that January is their last chance to get a fee for him before his contract expires in the summer, so he will no doubt be available at a very reasonable price.
Therefore this all means that Leeds need to give the Foxes a ring and lure Simpson to Elland Road as soon as they can.