Should signing Marley Watkins be Heckingbottom’s summer priority at Leeds?

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Paul Heckingbottom has a new job at Championship giants Leeds United but should he hark back to the past with his former Barnsley star Watkins?

Paul Heckingbottom had to get used to his star players leaving almost every transfer window at Barnsley.

And Marley Watkins’ summer move to Norwich City on a free when his Tykes contract expired was a major blow. The Welshman had scored ten and set up another seven in Barnsley’s first season back in the Championship.

And, for a time, he was one of the most in-demand players in the division. Although since moving to East Anglia, things have not really worked out. Watkins has failed to score and produced just one assist in 19 Championship games for the Canaries so far.

But with Heckingbottom now taking the reins at Leeds United, what are the chances of the 42-year-old reuniting a player who was heavily linked with a move to Elland Road back in 2017?

The Daily Mail reported in May of last year that Leeds had been tracking Watkins for some time. And while his stock has plummeted at Norwich, he would still be a real asset in West Yorkshire if he could rediscover the form that made him one of the league’s most feared attackers under Heckingbottom at Barnsley.

Bar the excellent Samu Saiz, Leeds have lacked a bit of cutting edge at times this season. Kemar Roofe, Pablo Hernandez, Ezgjan Alioski and Pierre-Michel Lasogga are all infuriatingly inconsistent and Watkins, who has the versatility to play anywhere across the forward line, would be a welcome addition.

It is not uncommon for managers to reunite with some of their old favourites when they get a new job. And, if Heckingbottom is to go down that route, rescuing Watkins from Norwich should be a summer priority.