Leeds United have previously been linked with a move for young defender Ben Wilmot.
Given Victor Orta’s desire to bolster the under-23 ranks at Elland Road, it would have surprised few Leeds fans when The Independent reported back in March that the Whites were one of the clubs who had been monitoring Stevenage starlet Ben Wilmot.
However, it appeared earlier this week that Leeds had missed out, with The Sun reporting that Watford had won the race to sign the centre-back as he was pulled out of the League Two side’s squad for their most recent game.
But with Sky Sports now suggesting that the Hornets have ended their pursuit of the 18-year-old, perhaps Leeds have had the wake-up call that should persuade the Championship side to now act swiftly to try and make sure that they are the team to capitalise on the fact that he does not appear to be Vicarage Road-bound.
Signing an 18-year-old centre-back may not be the most inspiring deal in many fans’ eyes – especially after a campaign where recruitment has been such a disappointment for Leeds – but Wilmot has a lot of potential, and the fact that several teams in the Premier League and Championship are keen certainly shows how highly rated he is.
Leeds need to strengthen their centre-back options at the end of the season. And, of course, Wilmot should not be the Whites’ priority when it comes to adding to their options in that area of the pitch, but he could add further depth and perhaps follow Paudie O’Connor’s path into the first-team at some stage in the near future.
And with Paul Heckingbottom’s track record for bringing young players through, Leeds do have their selling points that should allow them to compete with the top flight sides also chasing his signature – so perhaps they should look at Watford’s apparent u-turn as the perfect opportunity to try and jump to the front of the queue.
Here is what a handful of the Leeds fans have said about Wilmot in the last couple of days…
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