Leeds United went into the international break having lost 3-0 to Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.
Leeds went into the international break feeling very deflated after losing 3-0 to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in a game where, after the first 15 minutes or so, the Whites were second best across the pitch.
The Owls punished Leeds for not taking advantage of their bright start by scoring twice in 16 minutes to take a 2-0 lead going into half-time.
And the two goals were painfully similar for Thomas Christiansen’s men as a cross in the box was initially won by a Wednesday player who nodded the ball back across goal for Gary Hooper to score from close range.
On neither occasion did a Leeds player look like winning the initial ball, so perhaps it should be absolutely no surprise that a Whites team that look so vulnerable when crosses come in are looking at a defender who would become one of the tallest players in the squad if he did arrive at Elland Road.
According to Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, Leeds remain keen on signing Aapo Halme from HJK, and Christiansen may be hoping that the 19-year-old may be able to make the Whites much stronger when it comes to defending set-pieces.
The teenager is 6 ft 4 in tall, so could be an excellent player to have in the box. Pontus Jansson is Leeds’ tallest player but thrives when adopting a position that allows him to attack the ball wherever it goes rather than mark an opponent.
So having Jansson keeping that free role and Halme also in the box picking up the opposition’s best header of the ball may perhaps help Leeds resolve their issues trying to defend set-pieces.
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