Why Leeds United are right in offloading Barry Douglas in the summer
According to Football Insider (h/t Yorkshire Evening Post), Leeds United are set to offload left-back Barry Douglas in the summer.
The report suggests that Douglas has failed to cement his place in the starting XI and he would be sold in the upcoming transfer window regardless of whether the Whites secure promotion to the top flight or not.
Douglas, 30, came through Livingston FC and QPR’s youth ranks before joining Dundee United in the summer of 2010. After 76 appearances for the Scottish outfit, he went on to play for clubs like Lech Poznan in Poland, Konyaspor in Turkey, and Wolves.
Finally, the Scotsman signed for Leeds United in 2018. Since then, he made 39 appearances for the club. And in the process, he has provided just 5 assists. He made his debut for Scotland in 2018 and that is the only game he has played at the international level until now.
He simply has not been up to the mark under Marcelo Bielsa in this campaign. That has seen his game time reduce to just 11 Championship outings but he featured in the cup games against Arsenal and Stoke City.
Meanwhile, the Whites are in the contention to secure top-flight status and they need to be at their best from now. Regardless of their status in the summer, Leeds boss Bielsa must ensure that he has a full-strength squad for the new campaign. Most of the players currently are on loan from various teams.
To sign new players, it does make sense to free up space and offload Barry Douglas. They already have two left-backs in their ranks in Ezgjan Alioski and youngster Leif Davis.
Alioski has featured in 27 league games and has contributed with 4 goals and 3 assists so far. Davis, 20, is capable of being a back-up in the left-back position. The Morecombe youth product has featured in 3 games and serves as the perfect understudy to the Macedonian.
Having said that, keeping Douglas at Elland Road any further would be a waste of resources.
Read more
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- Why Leeds signing Jack Harrison permanently would be a smart move
- Why Leeds United’s done deal for Jean-Kevin Augustin is a good move
Verdict
At 30, Douglas has passed his prime and Leeds parting ways with the former Wolves man is the right decision.
