Leeds United could allow defender Barry Douglas to leave Elland Road this summer, according to Phil Hay. Speaking on The Phil Hay Show podcast, he was asked whether or not he could see the Scottish left-back leaving the club, and replied: “It’s a good question. He’s always been a player Bielsa likes and rates but his contract’s ticking on now.”
Douglas signed for the Whites back in July 2018 from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a deal reportedly worth £3.06m (as per Transfermarkt.co.uk), but his current deal with the Yorkshire-based outfit is due to expire in June 2021, and Hay’s comments suggest that is something Marcelo Bielsa should be thinking about.
He also went on to make the point that those at Elland Road have been waiting for two years to see “the Douglas we witnessed at Wolves”, this time suggesting his performances haven’t been at the expected standard since his move.
Hay added that from conversations he has had with the club, he doesn’t “get the sense there’s a great deal of attention being paid to outgoings this summer”.
Would you hold on to Barry Douglas?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
During the 2017/18 season, the now-30-year-old was in excellent form. Douglas scored five goals and provided his teammates with 15 assists (as per Transfermarkt.co.uk) as Wolves went on to earn promotion to the Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo’s management.
This season, Douglas, who is valued at £1.8 million (as per Transfermarkt), has been limited to just 13 appearances in all competitions and his average performance rating in the Championship of 6.39/10 (via WhoScored.com) suggests he’s not performed at the same level, although we must take the sample size into consideration.
In our view, he may no longer be the same player he once was, but based on his past performances, he is still a capable and experienced deputy, therefore, he may be worth keeping in the squad moving forward.