Leeds United are reported to be interested in Kieran Richardson.
Aston Villa’s Kieran Richardson
Leeds United are interested in former Premier League star Kieran Richardson, according to the Sunday Mirror.
The paper’s print edition (4/9) reported the Whites are weighing up a move for the 31-year-old, who won eight caps for England earlier in his career.
Richardson is a free agent after being released by Aston Villa in June, and it is unlikely to be long before he is snapped up.
Kieran Richarsdson at Sunderland
Last season at Villa, Richardson was playing at left-back, a position he converted to while playing under Steve Bruce at Sunderland.
At Leeds he would be hard pressed to displace the excellent Charlie Taylor, the club’s player of the season last year and first choice left-back.
In terms of cover they already have promising youngster Tyler Denton, who scored on his debut last month, and Gaetano Berardi can also play there as well as right-back.
This is why if Leeds move for Richardson, they need to play him as a winger, and let him focus on his attacking qualities, which could really be highlighted in the Championship.
Kieran Richardson – England U21
Stuart Dallas and Hadi Sacko need competition for the wide berths, while Kemar Roofe may be needed to play up front or centrally.
Richardson in an attacking role would give Leeds more options, while in defence he would not necessarily be more than a back-up, unless he is viewed as insurance for in case Taylor is sold in January.
He has scored goals in an FA Cup semi-final and for England, and Leeds would be wise to try and get him to focus on unleashing these talents if he did sign, rather than try and push him into a left-back role where he is not needed, and help the attacking players around him improve.
Aston Villa’s Kieran Richardson as Norwich’s Alexander Tettey looks on
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