Pontus Jansson’s display makes Leeds’ £10m decision look inspired

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Pontus Jansson made his first Championship start of the season as Leeds United moved back to the top of the table.

One of the main questions that many Leeds fans had heading into the club’s fifth Championship game of the season was which Pontus Jansson would turn up when he finally gets a chance to start for the Whites in the league, especially given the news this week that Leeds had rejected a bid for the Sweden international over the summer.

The Yorkshire Evening Post recently reported that Krasnodar had seen a £10 million offer for the centre-back rejected earlier in the window. At the time the bid was lodged, Leeds were still able to sign players permanently, so it says a lot that the club were not interested in the eight-figure offer.

And if Jansson returned to the side and showed some of his form from last season, then not selling for £10 million may have been deemed by some to be a mistake, despite the club’s lack of options at the heart of the defence.

However, the 27-year-old – who made his first league start of the campaign at Norwich City on Saturday – hinted that he may be about to find the form this term to make turning down the big-money bid look like a masterstroke from Leeds.

Jansson’s display was incredibly encouraging given that he has barely featured since returning from the World Cup. He looked comfortable on the ball and was back to his best when it came to some last-ditch defending.

In particular, there was an early block from Teemu Pukki’s effort that proved vital as Leeds went on to win 3-0 and move themselves back to the top of the Championship.

It may not go down as one of his very best performances for the Whites, but Jansson looked a lot more like the colossus that he undoubtedly was during his first season at Elland Road. And when you consider that he returned to pre-season late and then sustained a back injury, it is an incredibly encouraging sign for the rest of the season.

And if the Norwich performance is a stepping stone for Jansson, then Leeds’ decision to reject the £10 million bid this summer will have to go down as a brilliant one.