Leeds United’s summer transfer plans will seemingly revolve around getting a left-back through the door, and we can understand why.
As good as Ezgjan Alioski and Stuart Dallas have been at times in that position, the fact of the matter is that they’re not natural left-backs, joining the club as wingers before being converted by Marcelo Bielsa.
Therefore, it makes sense for Victor Orta to dip into the market in that position, and one name that fans are getting excited about is Romain Perraud.
Perraud does seem to be a decent option, but it may be an unnecessary expenditure at Leeds, as they seem to already have a left-back on the books capable of stepping up.
Perhaps surprisingly, we’re talking about Barry Douglas.
It’s very easy to forget that Douglas is on the books at Leeds, after all, the way they said their farewells to him on social media earlier this year made it seem as though he won’t be returning.
Yes, there’s a very good chance he never plays for the club again. After all, his contract is up this summer and he’s currently out on loan.
However, Blackburn don’t have an obligation to sign Douglas this summer, and there’s nothing stopping Leeds from offering him a new deal, and perhaps that’s something they should look to do.
Douglas has undoubted quality, he once assisted 14 goals in a single Championship season, and he’s recently proven that he can still hit those heights, making WhoScored’s Team of the Month for January.
The main issue with the Scot has been his fitness, he struggled during the entirety of his tenure at Leeds to put together a run of consistent games, but he’s already started 15 games for Blackburn since joining in October, and it looks as though his fitness worries are behind him.
Leeds may want a new left-back, but the solution to Bielsa’s problem position may lie in-house rather than with Perraud.
Bielsa and Orta would be wise to keep tabs on what Douglas does in the second half of this season.
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