OPINION
Leeds United may have ended the festive period at the Championship summit but it would be ignoring the blatantly obvious if the club do not address their need for a new goalkeeper in the January window.
Bailey Peacock-Farrell endured another harrowing afternoon on New Year’s Day as Marcelo Bielsa’s side sank to a 4-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest and demonstrated their last line of defence is well below the required standard.
The Northern Ireland international has done as well as anyone could have expected since being fast-tracked into the starting XI in the final months of last season.
But Leeds need a reliable and senior keeper who can slot straight into their side this month and allow Peacock-Farrell time away from the spotlight to work on eradicating his flaws.
According to BBC Sport, the Yorkshire giants are in the hunt to sign Burnley keeper Tom Heaton this month.
Were Leeds to pull off a deal for the three-times England international, the roof would surely fly off an ecstatic Elland Road desperate for an injection of quality behind a defence that has exceeded expectations all season.
Heaton, 32, is a class act who has twice won promotion from the Championship with Burnley and demonstrated that he can also cut it in the even more demanding Premier League.
The problem for Leeds and the keeper’s other suitors is that he was restored to the Clarets’ starting XI by Sean Dyche in Saturday’s 2-0 win over West Ham, his first Premier League win of the season.
Heaton, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, has spent almost the entire campaign watching from the bench as loanee Joe Hart established himself as the first choice in goal.
Following the shock weekend win, Heaton can now expect a run of games in goal, which could prove problematic for Leeds’ hopes of sealing a deal.