Aston Villa’s Tommy Elphick had a shocker this week and Leeds United must be happy that they didn’t end up signing him.
Tommy Elphick was linked with a move to Leeds United this past summer, but fans of the Elland Road club must be breathing a sigh of relief that the switch never materialised.
In July, The Birmingham Mail reported that Leeds were among the Championship sides tracking him and, based on his latest performance, it looks like the Whites’ were justified in not pursuing the former Bournemouth man.
The 30-year-old, a £3 million signing by Roberto Di Matteo in the summer of 2016, made his second start for Villa this season in Tuesday’s League Cup defeat by Middlesbrough and, in hindsight, Steve Bruce might’ve been better off not playing him.
Elphick conceded a penalty which led to the first goal in a 2-0 defeat, before being sent off for the same foul and it might be a while before Aston Villa fans see him again, based on Bruce’s post-match criticism of him.
You could argue that Leeds – who sit top of the Championship, with the best defensive record in the division – didn’t need any of the many centre-halves which they were linked with, based on the team’s displays this season, but it seems particularly true of Elphick.
The Yorkshire side only signed one central defender in the summer – Matthew Pennington, on loan from Everton – and Thomas Christiansen’s decision to bring through Conor Shaughnessy instead of signing somebody looks like something of a masterstroke as a result.
The young Irishman continued to enhance his reputation among United fans with a very decent performance against Burnley in their League Cup victory on Tuesday and, in truth, it’s safe to say that Leeds haven’t suffered one bit by not bringing in the Aston Villa man.
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