Leeds United completed their fourth signing of the summer transfer window on Thursday as they officially announced Joe Rodon’s arrival at Elland Road.
Who have Leeds signed this summer?
The Wales international has joined the Whites on a season-long loan from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and comes in after the signings of Ethan Ampadu, Sam Byram, and Karl Darlow on permanent deals.
Daniel Farke was also closing in on the signing of his former Norwich City right-back Max Aarons in a transfer that would have been worth up to £12m. However, top-flight outfit Bournemouth swooped in at the last minute and have since completed a move for the England U21 international.
The pursuit of a deal for the Canaries academy graduate shows that the German head coach is in the market for a new full-back and Manchester United’s Brandon Williams is another name on his radar, as it was reported earlier this month that the club are keen on the versatile defender.
How good is Brandon Williams?
Farke could land Leeds their next version of Stuart Dallas by securing a deal for the 22-year-old battler as he is a fantastic competitor who can play at left-back despite being right-footed.
Upon signing the English dynamo on loan for Norwich in 2022, the ex-Borussia Monchengladbach chief hailed Williams as an “exciting” addition who is “full of potential”
The Red Devils youngster went on to play 26 Premier League matches for the Canaries and all bar one of his appearances for the club came as a left-back.
He made an eye-catching 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game that season as the talented warrior showcased his ability to cut out opposition attacks on a regular basis to regain possession for his team.
The Manchester United outcast, who won 56% of his individual battles for the Yellows, also made 0.8 key passes per match, which is 0.3 more per outing than any Leeds defender managed last term.
Williams could be Dallas 2.0 for Leeds as a right-footed left-back following his success the last time that the Whites were playing at this level.
During the 2019/20 title-winning season under Marcelo Bielsa, the Northern Ireland international played in 45 Championship matches and predominantly featured as a left-back, whilst also being deployed at right-back at times.
The 32-year-old ace made 3.1 tackles and interceptions and chipped in with one key pass per match throughout the campaign as he displayed his qualities in and out of possession.
These statistics suggest that Williams has the ability to offer a similar level of quality to Dallas on and off the ball, whilst potentially being able to make more defensive interventions per clash to stop teams from troubling Illan Meslier’s goal with regularity.
The Leeds transfer target, whose attitude was once hailed as “unbelievable” by his former teammate and current Whites winger Dan James, could be an excellent left-back option for Farke in spite of the fact he is naturally right-footed.
Therefore, the £65k-per-week gem could be a superb addition to the squad if the club are able to secure a deal for his services after missing out on Aarons’ signature.
