Orta may soon plug a gap that Leeds have had since their 2019 playoff semi-final – Our View

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According to a report by TuttoMercatoWeb, Leeds United have made contact for Sampdoria centre-half Omar Colley.

The Whites have plenty of centre-backs on their books, but Colley would provide something that Leeds United have been missing since the end of the 2018/19 season.

Indeed, the 2019 playoff semi-finals against Derby were landmark matches in Leeds United’s recent history, but they also represented the last time we ever saw Pontus Jansson in a Leeds squad.

The Swede didn’t play a single minute in those semi-finals as his injury struggles saw him only fit enough to make the bench, and it wasn’t long after the fateful loss against Derby that he swapped Leeds for Brentford.

Since then, United have of course been promoted and utilised a number of talented centre-halves in the shape of Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and even Ben White, but while all of those players are talented in their own right, none of them have the same sort of aerial presence and dominance from set-pieces that Jansson provided.

Standing at 6 ft 4, the Swede was a goliath in the air, and it was rare to see Leeds concede from dead-ball scenarios with him in the backline.

However, after his departure, Leeds have always looked vulnerable from set plays, with 15 of the 35 goals they conceded during the 19/20 season coming from dead-ball situations, penalties included, and that’s a trend that’s continued this season.

Indeed, Leeds have conceded 15 goals from set-pieces this season, penalties not included, which is by far and away the worst tally of any side in the Premier League.

The reality is that Leeds aren’t good enough in the air, they win just 14.5 aerial duels per game, the 17^th worst tally in the division.

They’ve not had a great aerial presence since Jansson left, but that’s where Colley comes in.

Standing at 6 ft 3, Colley would immediately be Leeds’ joint-tallest outfield player, and his aerial numbers tell you all you need to know about him.

He wins 2.9 aerial duels per game out of 4.3 attempted,  giving him a success rate of 67.4%, in comparison, Leeds’ current centre-back choices, Liam Cooper, Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk and Diego Llorente have an average success rate of 52.6% between them, so you can see the discrepancy.

Colley could be the solution to Leeds’ ongoing set-piece woes, and if Victor Orta brings him in, he could plug the gap left behind by Jansson when he left the club and made his final bow at Elland Road after the 2019 playoff semi-finals.