Should Leeds United make a move for the 27-year-old?
AIK and Iceland right-back Haukur Hauksson confirmed to Sportbladet on Sunday that Leeds United were negotiating with the Swedish club for his signature – but might there be a better option a little bit closer to home?
Ritchie De Laet is a right-back who knows precisely what it takes to win promotion and that experience could serve Leeds well as Garry Monk plots a Premier League return.
The 27-year-old has already helped Leicester City and Middesbrough – where he was sent on loan in February – into the promised land and the Whites could do with a player who knows the course.
Boro boss Aitor Karanka seems unlikely to bring him back on a permanent basis, with the Spaniard overlooking him in six straight Championship games across March and April, meaning he is likely up for grabs.
He is in the penultimate year of his Leicester contract and Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri would not have loaned him to Boro if he envisaged a long-term future for the Belgian at the King Power Stadium.
De Laet is available. The question is whether Monk wants him or not. He certainly needs another right-back, with Gaetano Berardi suffering two ankle ligament injuries over the past eight months, meaning that it’s risky business to rely on the Swiss staying fit.
Of course, Monk also has Lewie Coyle available to him, but the 20-year-old has only five Championship starts to his name and it seems unfair to force a player that inexperienced into a sink-or-swim scenario if Berardi does break down again – and there’s a risk of destroying a very promising talent if he struggled.
Monk – the seventh Leeds manager in Massimo Cellino’s two-year reign – will not be given time to nurture Coyle in any case.
The former Swansea City boss needs tried-and-tested talent at this level and De Laet – once signed by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United – seems a safe bet if the young manager wants to build a promotion-winning team.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
