Jonathan Woodgate has admitted that Middlesbrough ‘will miss’ departing centre-back Daniel Ayala while telling the Northern Echo that the reported Leeds United target has rejected a contract extension at the Riverside.
While this giant Spaniard feels like more of a Victor Orta signing than a Marcelo Bielsa one (the Leeds director worked alongside him at the Riverside after all), it is easy to see what the soon-to-be free-agent would bring to Elland Road.
Ayala, at 6ft 3ins and blessed with formidable strength in the air, could be the Pontus Jansson-style powerhouse that has been missing in West Yorkshire this season.
He cannot match the brilliant Ben White when it comes to technical ability but Ayala should at least go some way to solving Leeds’ problems at set pieces.
The Mirror (1 May, page 48) claimed that the Championship leaders are expected sign the former Liverpool youngster when his contract expires this summer.
And, having rejected the chance to extend his stay at the Riverside, Ayala appears to have worn that iconic red shirt for the final time.
“Dani’s a really good footballer and we will miss him,” says Woodgate, who’s Boro side will now have to battle against relegation without a key player.
“Dani hasn’t been a problem or a hindrance or anything like that. “We offered Dani a contract in October, November time, but he didn’t want to sign it. I’ve got no problem with that at all.
“Dani said to me that he wouldn’t play in July. That is the whole truth of the matter.”
If or when White returns to parent club Brighton at the end of the season, Leeds will need to find another centre-half with the passing range of a top-class playmaker to fill a sizeable void in Bielsa’s backline.
Ayala is unlikely to be that man – but he could be a useful and affordable addition to a squad lacking in defensive depth.
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