Leeds United look set to miss out on Angus Gunn, but his expected £13 million move to Southampton should perhaps not signal the end of the Whites’ interest.
With Lewis Baker the only player to arrive through the Leeds United door so far this summer, it appears fair to suggest that things have not exactly gone to plan for the Championship side on the transfer front.
Their underwhelming season last time out could not have made it clearer that there is a lot of work to do before the Whites are going to be considered serious contenders for promotion, especially with a number of their rivals wasting little time bringing in a number of new signings during this window.
One area that Marcelo Bielsa has to strengthen this summer is in goal. Bailey Peacock-Farrell was impressive last season, but with Felix Wiedwald gone and Andy Lonergan’s contract torn up, there is undoubtedly a significant lack of depth between the sticks.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that Jamal Blackman is the current number one target with a potential loan move from Chelsea on Leeds’ wishlist. But given the torrid time that the Whites appear to have endured so far this window, it seems that few fans will be getting carried away until Blackman is confirmed as a Leeds player for the coming campaign.
It is a tremendous setback for the Whites, but perhaps they should not give up on Gunn entirely just yet, even after his eight-figure move to St Mary’s was confirmed.
Gunn is a superb talent and it seems more than likely that Southampton will be patting themselves on the back in years to come for bringing the England under-21 stopper in.
However, he is arriving shortly after Alex McCarthy earned himself a new long-term contract with the Saints following a fantastic run in the side as number one. His performances were a key reason why Saints are not preparing for trips to the likes of Rotherham United, Millwall and Bolton Wanderers this summer.
Of course, Mark Hughes may have had every intention of using McCarthy as number one until Gunn came onto the market and may have now changed his mind, but it would be a surprise if the latter does go straight in as Southampton’s first-choice next year.
If he has been signed with the long-term picture in mind and Leeds continue to struggle in their quest to find a new stopper, then the Whites simply have to consider making an ambitious loan bid in the hope that Hughes agrees that Gunn would be better off playing regularly elsewhere rather than staying as McCarthy’s understudy.
It does seem unlikely at this stage, but Fraser Forster has shown in the past that he is a much better stopper than what the fans saw last season so if he sticks around this summer, he could potentially keep the second spot and leave the path clear for Gunn to leave temporarily.
Leeds, of course, must not put too much hope into the idea of getting a deal done for Gunn further down the line, but if the season begins and Bielsa is still awaiting a goalkeeper signing and the Saints’ new signing is not deemed to be at the level required to take McCarthy’s spot, then perhaps a final, ambitious loan bid should be placed.
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