Left-back has been a problem position for Leeds United but over the course of the next 12 months and beyond, Gabriel Gudmundsson will be looking to end that view.
It is fair to say that Leeds have never really got it right at left-back since Charlie Taylor’s move to Burnley. Since then, Barry Douglas, Gjanni Alioski, Stuart Dallas and Junior Firpo have been brought in on the left.
Douglas was injury prone, Alioski was good in the Championship but not the Premier League, Dallas was tasked with many other positions and Junior Firpo endured two very difficult years in England’s top tier.
With Firpo now gone, Leeds have signed Gudmundsson but as one would expect, the Sweden defender was not the only left-sided defender on the list. Leeds were desperate to land an English left-back.
Jose Mourinho looks on during Fenerbahce's clash against Sivasspor.
Photo by Sercan Kucuksahin/Anadolu via Getty Images
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Transfer expert Graeme Bailey has exclusively told LeedsUnited.News that Adam Underwood had also wanted to bring in Archie Brown. The former Derby man has been impressing in Belgium with Gent.
Alongside Max Dean, Brown is often seen bombing up and down the left wing, providing quality in the final third but also defensively. He has three goals and 10 assists in 83 appearances for the Belgians.
Archie Brown in action for Gent against Betis during a Europa Conference League match.
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Bailey says Leeds were “very keen” on luring Brown back to England. But after Brown’s links with Leeds, the defender has chosen Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce despite agreeing to join Italian giants Milan.
Fabrizio Romano and plenty of others reported Brown’s £7m move to Fenerbahce, but Bailey told us that Leeds wanted him: “Leeds target Archie Brown has agreed terms with Fener – they were very keen.”
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Archie Brown has been linked with Leeds in the past…
It is believed that the signing of Gudmundsson from Lille was the club’s first-choice option, but Brown is more than likely to have been high on Leeds’ list. Not least, because Brown has been linked before.
Ahead of the January 2024 window, Leeds were linked with Brown alongside Everton and Burnley. But he has remained at Gent until now, joining Mourinho’s side and choosing to turn down a move to Milan.
Even though Sam Byram has put pen to paper on a new one-year deal at Elland Road, there is every chance that Leeds may dip back into the market in order to bring in another left-back this summer.