An update has emerged on Leeds United and their plans to possibly add a new defender to their ranks ahead of the 2023/24 Championship campaign this weekend…
What's the latest Leeds transfer news?
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Whites are in talks with full-back Sam Byram over a possible deal to sign for Daniel Farke's team this season.
The report claims that the former Norwich City defender, who departed Carrow Road on a free transfer this summer, has impressed the club on and off the pitch throughout his trial period.
Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…
He has played three pre-season matches and could now earn himself a permanent contract at Elland Road, where he began his professional career, as Farke and his staff continue to consider a swoop for his services.
However, there is no immediate need for a decision to be made as the 5 foot 11 ace is a free agent and could be signed after the summer transfer window slams shut, which means that the club have time on their hands to assess his fitness and suitability before committing to a deal.
How good is Sam Byram?
The versatile defender is a solid Championship full-back who could be an excellent option for Farke to call upon at left-back, which is where the German tactician largely deployed him during their time together in the 2019/20 campaign with Norwich.
Byram could be a dream partner for Whites forward Luis Sinisterra on the left flank as the English enforcer could provide the Colombia international with a platform to go and attack opposition teams with freedom.
The former West Ham dynamo, who Farke recently praised as a "top-class" character, showcased his ability to win possession back for the team on a regular basis last term with 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game across 15 Championship appearances for the Canaries.
He also displayed his strength with a ground duel success rate of 65%, which shows that the experienced campaigner rarely allowed his opponent to get the better of him, and was only dribbled past 0.3 times per match.
Whereas, Junior Firpo lost 51% of his ground battles and was dribbled past 1.2 times per outing in the Premier League for the Whites last term, as per Sofascore.
This suggests that Byram could be an upgrade on the former Barcelona man at left-back in terms of their work out of possession by stopping the opposition more efficiently, without allowing wingers to take the ball past him as easily.
Therefore, the 29-year-old warrior could be perfect for Sinisterra as he could be a solid option behind the exciting winger who would allow the former Feyenoord man to express himself going forward without needing to worry about covering for Firpo.
The Colombian dynamo, who scored seven goals in all competitions for Leeds last term, racked up an outstanding 23 goals and 14 assists across all competitions during the 2021/22 campaign in the Netherlands.
This shows that the potential is there for the 24-year-old wizard to be a sensational player for Farke this season if he is able to rediscover his best form at the top end of the pitch, which could be helped by the signing of free-agent gem Byram to partner him on the left flank.
