Leeds United were keen to sign Brentford centre-back Harlee Dean last summer but he joined Championship rivals Birmingham City instead.
As it stands, Leeds United have slipped to 12th in the Championship table and, to make matters worse, have the worst defensive record in the top half.
Clearly, a Whites side who were built on a solid defence last season cannot rely on the same pragmatism this time around. The departure of Kyle Bartley, who excelled on loan from Swansea City in 2016/17, has been keenly felt and barely a game goes by without Leeds fans taking to social media demanding his return.
Instead, Pontus Jansson has been given the difficult task of forming a partnership with the erratic, card-happy Liam Cooper or the unconvincing, injury-prone Everton loanee Matthew Pennington.
So maybe it would have been better for both club, and player, if Harlee Dean had moved to Elland Road rather than St Andrews during the summer transfer window.
The Mirror claimed in August that Leeds’ search for a new centre-back had taken them to Brentford’s Dean – but a defender that looked like one of the league’s best in red and white instead signed for Birmingham City for £2.2 million before the month was out, as reported by Sky Sports.
At the time, that move made sense. Birmingham looked set to build on last season’s narrow escape from relegation under Harry Redknapp after bringing in a couple of really impressive signings like Sam Gallagher and Dean’s former Brentford team-mate Jota.
But seven months later, you could forgive Dean for wondering if he has made a mistake. Steve Cotterill became the second Birmingham manager sacked this season and the fourth in 12 months on Saturday after a disastrous loss at Nottingham Forest which sees them drop into the bottom three.
Dean has been a shadow of his Brentford best, and even the most staunch Blues fan could probably understand if he dreamed of turning back the clock.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
