Will Leeds rue not signing Aston Villa loanee Tyrone Mings in January?

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Leeds United reportedly wanted Tyrone Mings in January before the defender ultimately headed to Aston Villa.

It was reported by the Daily Mail during the January transfer window (23/1; page 65) that Leeds were one of the Championship sides interested in signing Tyrone Mings on loan from Bournemouth.

The revolving door on the physio room at Elland Road has not stopped spinning this season, and some supporters seemed to be hoping that Marcelo Bielsa would look at signing a new defender in the winter to give the promotion-chasers some additional depth.

However, Mings would not join the Whites, as the £8 million centre-back (via BBC Sport) instead headed to Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the season.

Leeds have arguably not yet rued the fact that they did not manage to land the former Ipswich Town man. While their form since the turn of the year has been mixed – they have drawn one game since October – Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson have largely been outstanding at the back.

Bielsa’s men actually went into the weekend’s game against Sheffield United off the back of three clean sheets in a row. But following that game, perhaps it would be fair to say that Leeds may be a little more frustrated that they did not beat the Villans to Mings’ signature.

The club have confirmed that Jansson will be sidelined for three weeks after sustaining a knee injury in the game. Gaetano Berardi is now back available and was superb during the opening weeks of the season, but he has only made one substitute appearance for the first-team since October.

Meanwhile, Mings is proving to be a fantastic signing for Dean Smith’s side, who are now very much in the play-off discussion after four wins in a row – during which time, they have conceded one goal.

Jansson is set to miss just two games, and there is no guarantee that he will immediately regain his place if Berardi rediscovers his best form. But with Mings flying right now, perhaps having him in the ranks at this stage of the campaign would have made the international break slightly less nervy for Leeds.