Why Izzy Brown could fire Leeds United to promotion this season
EFL Championship side Leeds United completed their sixth signing of the summer, bringing in Chelsea’s promising young attacker Izzy Brown on a season-long loan deal.
The 21-year-old becomes the third player to arrive at Elland Road on loan from the Blues, following midfielder Lewis Baker and goalkeeper Jamal Blackman.
Brown has been on Chelsea’s books since 2013, having joined from West Bromwich Albion’s youth setup. Since his arrival, he has had various temporary spells away from Stamford Bridge with Vitesse, Rotherham United, Leeds’ Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town, as well as Brighton & Hove Albion.
During his time with Huddersfield in the 2016/17 campaign, the versatile attacker played a huge hand in the Terriers’ promotion bid, bagging seven goals and setting up five more from 35 appearances in the Championship. He also scored and assisted a goal apiece as David Wagner’s side made it to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
As a result, fellow promotion winners Brighton & Hove Albion took him on loan in their first Premier League campaign last term. However, things did not pan out as expected for neither the player nor the club.
Brown picked up a hamstring injury early in the season and that saw him miss a run of games. He was unable to nail down a place in the starting XI post his return. Things took a turn for the worse when an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January ruled him out for the season, post which he returned to his parent club. In total, he featured 14 times for the Seagulls, failing to score or assist a single goal.
Despite a disappointing, injury-ridden last season, there is no taking away the fact that Brown is a supremely talented young player, who will provide Leeds with a great boost to their promotion bid. The Whites, under new manager Marcelo Bielsa, have worked wonders so far and look like strong contenders for the bump-up to the Premier League next term.
The 21-year-old Chelsea loanee can play in any position in the final third, which will provide the manager with a multitude of options and flexibility. An excellent dribbler of the ball, the Englishman possesses pace and is a quality finisher. A player of his abilities could come in handy for the Yorkshire-based outfitm particularly when facing sides that defend deep.
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Yet to recover fully from the injury, the 21-year-old is expected to be back in training with Leeds post the international break. And given the serious nature of his injury, he will need some time to be back to his usual level. But, once fully fit, he could turn out to be a great asset for Leeds, as they must make a push for a Premier League return.
