Leeds United goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell has been one of the Whites’ surprises of the season.
Less than one year ago, Leeds announced that they had loaned Bailey Peacock-Farrell out to non-league side York City for a month as the Whites looked to give the academy prospect some much-needed game-time.
His time with York was disappointing – nine goals were conceded in four games – and he returned to Elland Road with many questioning whether he would ever realise the potential that he had showed earlier in his young career.
That potential saw Peacock-Farrell make his senior debut in April 2016, and led to interest from Tottenham Hotspur in the same month – as reported by HITC Sport at the time.
But after seemingly losing his way in the early stages of last season, Peacock-Farrell established himself as one of the few success stories from Paul Heckingbottom’s brief tenure with an encouraging stint as number one to conclude the campaign.
Leeds’ slightly late acquisition of Jamal Blackman this summer allowed the 21-year-old to keep the gloves at the start of pre-season, and he has gone on to establish himself not only as Marcelo Bielsa’s number one, but also potentially as Northern Ireland’s first choice after making his first start for Michael O’Neill’s men in their Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina at the weekend.
It is a remarkable turnaround from Peacock-Farrell, and that should perhaps leave Leeds bracing themselves for Premier League attention in the stopper in the near future – and taking provisions to give them the best chance of keeping hold of the goalkeeper.
As confirmed by the club’s official website, Peacock-Farrell’s contract expires in 2020. In today’s game, that does not give Leeds much breathing space regarding getting another deal sorted, especially if clubs start sniffing around him in the near future.
If Peacock-Farrell continues to play at his current standard, then it would be a huge surprise if there was not any top flight interest in him. And with Blackman waiting patiently, there is no reason to believe that the Darlington-born ace will let his form dip.
He is now playing regularly in the Championship and certainly in the mix to be a first-choice at international level. With that kind of CV, Leeds are perhaps taking a risk if they allow his contract to run down much further.
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