Brentford beat Leeds United to Rico Henry back in the summer of 2016 – but there are few better players to replace Charlie Taylor.
The fact that Leeds United were forced to trial Stuart Dallas at left-back during Tuesday’s 2-1 home defeat to Derby County suggests that Charlie Taylor has not yet been adequately replaced at Elland Road.
The homegrown left-back departed for Burnley under a cloud this summer – but Cameron Borthwick-Jackson was the only natural successor to arrive at Leeds. The Manchester United loanee, however, is clearly out of favour and hasn’t made a Championship appearance since August.
The right-footed Vurnon Anita, who has played the majority of Leeds’ league games on the left of Thomas Christiansen’s back four, was dropped to the bench against Derby. A poor run of form has cast doubt on his suitability in the role.
Perhaps January is the perfect time, then, for Leeds to revive their interest in Rico Henry. The Mail reported in the summer of 2016 that The Whites were already preparing for Taylor’s exit upon the expiry of his contract and had identified Walsall’s highly-rated youngster as a potential replacement.
Brentford beat Leeds to the punch, however, signing a player that has been frequently likened to former England international Ashley Cole for a fee that could rise to £5 million, per the BBC. Injuries have restricted Henry to just 20 league starts for The Bees but, when fit, there is little doubting that the 20-year-old remains a player with huge potential.
And though Brentford will understandably not want to sell Henry to a Championship rival, the Birmingham-born flyer is one of the few players in the second tier who could claim to be as influential from left-back as Taylor.
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