Leeds United reportedly wanted to sign Liam Moore in 2015, and should consider a fresh move this summer.
Paul Heckingbottom’s list of potential summer targets should be a long one. Leeds fans have been waiting for the campaign to end for several weeks, and given the discontent being directed at the head coach already, Heckingbottom probably feels the same.
The Whites have returned to registering an uninspiring bottom-half finish this term – the kind of finish that the Elland Road faithful had become accustomed to before they seriously flirted with the play-offs last season – and the squad overhaul in the summer needs to be on the same level as the one that took place unnecessarily last year.
At the top of Heckingbottom’s to-do list perhaps needs to be the situation surrounding Leeds’ centre-backs. Garry Monk stumbled upon the Whites’ best partnership since their Premier League days with Kyle Bartley and Pontus Jansson superb for much of the season, but that success has not been replicated this term despite a startling run of clean sheets at the beginning of the campaign.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that Leeds now want to bring Bartley back, but with plenty of uncertainty surrounding the chances of an incredibly popular reunion – Swansea are still battling to stay up and Bartley has just sustained another injury in the same campaign that saw him ruled out for several months – Heckingbottom and Victor Orta must have alternative targets on their radar.
The Yorkshire Post reported in 2015 that Leeds wanted Liam Moore while he was on Leicester City’s books. Ultimately, Moore would head to Reading and the Daily Record reported earlier this season that he is now valued at around £5 million.
With the Royals a penalty shootout away from the Premier League last season, Leeds would have had little chance of luring him away had they reignited their interest last summer. But perhaps, this upcoming window may be a great time to have another look at the 25-year-old.
Leeds may not have lived up to expectations, but their plight is nowhere near as bad as Reading’s. Paul Clement’s men ultimately only managed to keep themselves in the second tier by three points on the final day of the season.
Despite their struggles, Moore’s reputation continues to grow and he was named as the club’s Player of the Season. AndLeeds need to throw their hat in the ring regardless of what happens with their pursuit of Bartley in the hope that Moore is tempted by the chance to make the switch to Elland Road.
The Whites should kick themselves for not getting the centre-back in back in 2015. But after a couple of years of Moore probably being out of their reach, perhaps Heckingbottom should feel that there would be no better opportunity to pursue a deal than during this summer.
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