Leeds’ Jordan Stevens may benefit from latest Daniel James reports

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Leeds United’s chances of signing Daniel James have certainly taken a hit in recent times.

Having been in the position in January where it seemed signing Daniel James was simply going to be a formality, Leeds now find themselves heading into the summer as major underdogs to secure his signature.

Wales Online reports that Swansea pulled the plug on his move to Elland Road at the last minute, and now he has the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City monitoring his situation.

In truth, James has been outstanding since failing to seal his move to Leeds. Marcelo Bielsa’s side now appear to need to secure promotion out of the Championship to stand a good chance of winning the race to sign the Wales international.

If they do go up and manage to sign James, then Leeds will certainly feel that they have had the last laugh against Swansea, with a lot of animosity developing in the hours after the January window closed.

But perhaps there will be one player within Bielsa’s squad who may really benefit if the Whites fail to sign James at the second attempt.

Jordan Stevens is one of the most highly-rated talents in a Leeds under-23 side that are enjoying a remarkable campaign under Carlos Corberan. He made his first-team debut in the defeat to Stoke City in January, and it would not be a huge surprise if that proved to not be his last senior appearance of the season.

Stevens is not on James’ level yet, by any means. But the 19-year-old is showing some of the same signs that prompted Leeds fans to call for Jack Clarke to get a senior debut long before Bielsa decided to be the man to pick the starlet.

If the 21-year-old joins Leeds, Stevens faces a much tougher task trying to force his way into the first-team again. And with the two players around a similar age, while Clarke is even younger, Stevens may have to be patient for much longer than he would like.

Signing James would be a fantastic way for Leeds to kick off their summer, especially when you consider the teams now interested. But perhaps missing out could lead to one of the club’s brightest prospects stealing the stage much sooner.