The Tottenham Hotspur player was available on loan but Leeds United instead moved for the Everton man.
Leeds United needed a new centre-back last summer, so it was no surprise to see Everton’s Matthew Pennington arrive at Elland Road on loan.
The 23-year-old impressed in pre-season but an early injury robbed him of the chance to feature in seven straight Championship games, and he has been hit-and-miss since his return.
What Leeds need right now is stability, and their back-line continues to look shaky despite the presence of Pennington, Pontus Jansson and the resurgent Liam Cooper.
While the Leeds loanee looked far better against Derby County than he did against Sheffield United a few days earlier, there is still a question as to why the Whites did not move for a player currently doing the business for the league leaders in the form of Cameron Carter-Vickers.
The young American is currently on loan at the Blades from Tottenham Hotspur, and he is winning more plaudits by the week.
It took the 19-year-old a few weeks to force his way into Sheffield United’s starting XI but he is now there to stay, and his performance against Leeds at the end of last month spoke volumes about his confidence and innate ability.
Carter-Vickers may be four years younger than Pennington but he already looks far better and he would have gone down a storm at Elland Road had Leeds taken the plunge while they had the chance.
That was a missed opportunity and Leeds fans will be wondering what the rest of the season has in store as their defence continues to look porous just when it needs to hold firm.
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