It’s a move that doesn’t quite add up whichever way you look at it.
According to a report in The Sunday People (print edition, 17/11, page 50), Leeds United are interested in bringing in Birmingham City’s David Stockdale.
The 34-year-old has fallen heavily out of favour at St Andrew’s, having spent the majority of the 17/18 season as the club’s first-choice keeper, he’s been reduced to a backup role and spent most of last season on loan for a number of League One sides.
I’m not 100% sure on this move, because from a Leeds perspective it doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’ve spoken for some time now about how Illan Meslier needs to get more minutes under his belt during his loan spell at Elland Road, and that with Kiko Casilla’s current situation, it would be the perfect opportunity for him to get some vital experience.
So bringing in someone like Stockdale would be for one of two reasons, either you want him to replace Casilla during his potential suspension, at which point, as Phil Hay references in his recent Q&A on The Athletic, it seems pointless having Meslier on the books if you’re not going to give him the chance.
Or you play Meslier and have Stockdale as backup, which would just be a bit of a slap in the face to the other keepers in the club like Kamil Miazek or Will Huffer if they don’t get promoted when Meslier steps in.
So either scenario brings up questions about just how the club is going to handle things, and neither of them paints a really flattering picture. Personally though, I would go for the latter option. I think that any move around the goalkeeping position should be done with a look towards the future, and that should mean promoting the players that the club already has rather than trying to block their path essentially.
Should Leeds sign David Stockdale?
Yes
No
What do you think? Would a move like this be good for Leeds United? Or should the club stick with the players already at their disposal?