Leeds United have been claimed to be still in the running to sign West Ham right-back Harrison Ashby, whose contract is winding down towards the summer.
Leeds’ savvy youth investment saw them pounce on the contract situation pertaining to then-West Ham youngster Sonny Perkins, and their investment in the forward is already paying off.
Perkins is not the only Irons starlet that Leeds have reportedly had their eyes on, with right-back Harrison Ashby another that Victor Orta is tracking.
That’s according to journalist Dean Jones, who said this to GIVEMESPORT:
“They do still like him. I think, from here, it’s going to depend on how West Ham decide to deal with him.
“Whether they reassess his contract situation and they can convince him of their own plans, there’s a lot to be sorted out there over the next few months.”
While he’s no doubt a talented player, we look at two reasons why Leeds need to avoid signing Ashby in January or beyond…
We need a left-back first
Ashby is on the wrong side of the defence when looking at what sort of player Leeds need to be signing, given the glaring lack of left-backs at the club.
Having sold Leif Davis, Junior Firpo is the only natural left-back in the club, both at senior and under-21 level, which is simply not good enough.
If Leeds are to be exploring a deal to sign a young defender, it has to be with the left-back position in mind, given how dangerously short we are there.
Seeing Alfie McCalmont play there in the under-21s recently should be a huge warning sign to the club that this needs rectifying before long.
We’ve got Cody Drameh
Ironically, links to a right-back also make little sense when you look at the fact that it’s one of our best-covered positions in the first team.
Behind Rasmus Kristensen and Luke Ayling, you have a hungry Cody Drameh who has shown on limited playing time this season that he’s more than worth his place in the squad.
So, why should we bother signing another right-back and risk undermining him?
He was already growing frustrated at the lack of regular playing time last year, leading to his loan move at Cardiff City, so there is no logic to bringing in further competition.
Ashby would be in the exact same position as Drameh, if not seeing both of their playing time suffer as there are now four players vying for one spot.
Should Drameh get a chance at Leeds this season?
Yes
No
