Leeds should consider swoop for jet-heeled Premier League ace

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Leeds United boss could get the best out of the 27-year-old.

Swansea City could well drop down into the Championship next season and Leeds United look like they might be among the three teams to replace them.

Of course, there is still a long way to go before Leeds fans can dream about the top flight, but if both sides were to trade places next season then there is one man who Garry Monk could and should bring to Elland Road: Jefferson Montero.

Monk brought the Ecuador international to South Wales for £4 million in the summer of 2014 and he showed flashes of his brilliance, setting up seven goals in his first season – one less than Alexis Sanchez, two less than Eden Hazard that year – but the 27-year-old has started only nine Premier League games since Monk was sacked 12 months ago.

Injury has contributed to that meagre figure but for the most part Francesco Guidolin and Bob Bradley have been unable to extract the type of form from him which the 38-year-old did during his stint in South Wales, resulting in a fringe role.

Monk seems to be a terrific man manager and there is every chance that Montero would revert to the type of electrifying performances he managed under the young coach prior to his dismissal, but this time in a Leeds shirt.

It’s not like United have a deluge of quality wide men, is it? Hadi Sacko is the best of them but a) he is rather inconsistent b) he belongs to Sporting Lisbon and c) he has a buyout clause of some £50 million, according to The Yorkshire Evening Post.

If those figures are accurate then it seems extremely unlikely that Leeds will sign him on a permanent basis in the summer. Even if Sporting were to knock one of the zeros off the end, £5 million is still a lot of money for a player who is very hit and miss.

With 11 Championship goals, Chris Wood has had a fine season, but he is very much a figure who relies on service and you wonder if a lack of consistent quality either side of him has actually held the big striker back a little bit.

Getting to the Premier League is tough, but staying there is perhaps even tougher and a man of Montero’s talents could go a long way to helping re-establish Leeds as a top-flight club – if they get there.