Leeds want to sign Matthew Pennington from Everton permanently but could the poor form of Michael Keane and Ashley Williams potentially hinder that?
Sam Winnall of Derby County battles for the ball with Matthew Pennington of Leeds United during the Sky Bet Championship match at Elland Road.
Leeds United are hoping to sign Everton loanee Matthew Pennington permanently, reports the Yorkshire Evening Post, with the defender having impressed head coach Thomas Christiansen during his time at Elland Road.
While there have been reports that the Whites would move to make this happen in the January transfer window, it seems more likely that they will look to complete any potential deal in the summer.
Sam Allardyce, manager of Everton, in discussion with Ashley Williams during the Premier League match against Swansea City.
It is unclear exactly how much of a realistic prospect this would be as since Pennington was loaned to Leeds the Toffees have sacked Ronald Koeman as manager and replaced him with Sam Allardyce.
Allardyce has instilled more defensive resolve in the team, but could both Michael Keane and Ashley Williams struggling for form for much of this season work against Christiansen?
Michael Keane of Everton during the UEFA Europa League group E match against Atalanta.
While the emergence of Mason Holgate at centre-back has been a great positive for the Merseysiders, neither Keane or Williams have looked particularly convincing and captain Phil Jagielka has been used sparingly and is now 35-years-old.
With few reliable options at Goodison Park currently, Allardyce may want to give Pennington a chance – especially as a fellow youngster in Holgate has proven his talent when presented with a similar opportunity.
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