Leeds United delighted supporters yesterday with the announcement that Marcelo Bielsa will remain at the helm for the 2019/20 campaign.
The 63-year-old guided the club to the brink of promotion in his inaugural season in English football and will have the opportunity to go a step further and achieve promotion after agreeing to take the reins for a second campaign.
The rumour mill constitutes an integral part of the feverish excitement that sweeps its way through fanbases in the summer and is already turning at speed.
Leeds have already been linked with a swoop for Southampton forward Sam Gallagher, as well as Kilmarnock marksman Eamonn Brophy. Portsmouth prodigy Jamal Lowe is also reportedly on the club’s radar, but is attracting attention from elsewhere.
However, it is looking increasingly likely that the Whites will also have to add a new goalkeeper to their ranks before Championship football resumes.
According to Yorkshire Evening Post’s Phil Hay, it is not ‘entirely unlikely’ that Spaniard Kiko Casilla will depart and leave Bielsa in need of a new shot-stopper to compete with Bailey Peacock-Farrell for the coveted number one jersey.
We have selected five goalkeepers that Director of Football Victor Orta may look to recruit should Casilla seek pastures new…
Daniel Bentley
Bentley was linked with a move to Elland Road back in 2014, having been considered as a replacement for the ageing Paddy Kenny by former Whites boss Brian McDermott. He still plied his trade with Southend United at the time, but has since made the switch to Brentford and established himself as one of the Championship’s most coveted stoppers. The 25-year-old would come at a price but his capture would signal genuine ambition and issue a statement of intent to the rest of the division.
Jamal Blackman
Marcelo Bielsa is a great admirer of Blackman, who had his loan spell in West Yorkshire cut short by injury. If his recovery is complete before the season begins, Orta may swoop to secure the Chelsea goalkeeper’s services once again. A towering figure with second-tier experience, the 25-year-old is likely to be available on loan and could prove to be a shrewd addition.
Bartosz Bialkowski
Bialkowski would bring a wealth of experience and nous to Elland Road, having proven himself as a reliable number one during his five years with Ipswich Town. The 31-year-old could be tempted by the prospect of Championship football after suffering relegation with the Tractor Boys last season.
Alex McCarthy
The 29-year-old was capped by England as recently as last year, but was dislodged as Southampton’s first-choice goalkeeper by Angus Gunn in the second half of the 2018/19 campaign. McCarthy has already represented Leeds during a loan spell and could be targeted by Orta if he is unwilling to play second fiddle at St. Mary’s.
John Ruddy
The vastly-experienced Ruddy would be a coup for any Championship side and operated as an understudy with Wolves in the Premier League last season. There has been no indication of a desire to leave Molineux from Ruddy, although the lure of first-team football could prove too strong should Orta make contact.
