Leeds United took Jamal Blackman on loan for the season this summer.
Leeds United have enjoyed a remarkable start to life under Marcelo Bielsa, and they have done it without giving huge roles to their summer signings.
The Whites have dropped just four points in the Championship this term, with fans enjoying the brand of football on offer under ‘El Loco’ as he lives up to his legendary billing.
Yet, many of Leeds’ summer signings have yet to really feature; Barry Douglas has been a mainstay at left back, but Jamal Blackman, Lewis Baker, Jack Harrison and Patrick Bamford have been on the periphery.
Goalkeeper Blackman is a particularly surprising omission, as many expected the Chelsea loanee to come in as first-choice ahead of Bailey Peacock-Farrell, but he has yet to feature in the league.
Peacock-Farrell’s form and improvement are the main reason for that, but parent club Chelsea may have reason to be concerned about the 24-year-old stopper’s lack of playing time.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reported over the summer that Chelsea see their homegrown prospect as a potential first-choice goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge in the future, with a loan to Leeds the next step towards that.
Chelsea will have been expecting Blackman to feature regularly having seen him play 33 times for Sheffield United last season, but they’re instead watching him sit on the bench – and the Blues may well have concerns that he isn’t getting the development they wanted.
One benefit for Blackman is that he is learning to play out from the back in Bielsa’s style of play, and given Peacock-Farrell’s improvement in that regard, even just training with the Leeds boss could be vital.
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri loves to play out from the back, and if Blackman can improve in that area of his game, then he can still go back to Chelsea and offer cover for new signing Kepa Arrizabalaga – even if he isn’t featuring for Leeds as much as expected.
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