Leeds United have just embarked on their first Premier League season in 16 years, but despite all of the positivity around Elland Road at the moment, there is one dark cloud still lingering the background.
Ben White will not be moving to Leeds permanently this summer after signing a new long-term contract with Brighton, and while the arrivals of Robin Koch and Diego Llorente have somewhat softened that blow, it is a blow nonetheless.
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White was arguably Leeds’ most important player last term, starting every game in the heart of a defence that conceded fewer goals than any other Championship team, and his departure has left a gap that needs filling.
After conceding seven goals in their first two games, Leeds need to shore up their backline, and while they will be hoping that Llorente is the man to solve their problem, the long-term solution could be one of their young players.
Pascal Struijk got a run in the team towards the end of last season, and he took to playing in Bielsa’s side like a duck to water, being overwhelmingly praised by fans after his showing against Barnsley.
However, on his Premier League debut, he was thrown in at the deep end against defending champions Liverpool, who hit four past Leeds, but despite the Whites conceding four, it’s hard to argue that any of those goals were Struijk’s fault.
Two penalties were conceded by Koch and Rodrigo, while Virgil van Dijk’s goal was mostly down to Koch’s poor marking. Mo Salah’s second strike could be labelled as a lapse from the whole team, but it took a world-class finish for him to score from that position.
Making Struijk a regular in the Premier League immediately would undoubtedly be a bit of a risk due to his lack of experience, but this time last year Brighton were in a similar situation with White, having a very tidy player on their hands who needed to cut his teeth at a lower level and develop.
Leeds are apparently set to loan out a number of young players, and with Llorente, Koch, Liam Cooper and Gaetano Berardi in contention, centre-back is one of the most competitive spots in Bielsa’s XI, perhaps it’s best that Struijk goes out on loan this season, and if he impresses, who’s to say that he can’t come back into the fold as a stronger player, much like White has at Brighton?