Leeds United know that they will be playing Premier League football next season and the rumour mill is already well underway ahead of the summer transfer window.
The Whites know that they will have to bolster their squad in order to avoid being instantly relegated back down to the Championship, as the last six newly-promoted sides have been.
A new centre-forward appears to be one of the priorities on the agenda for the West Yorkshire centurions. Newcastle United marksman Callum Wilson and promising St. Gallen striker Willem Geubbels have both been linked with moves to Elland Road in recent days.
Former Norwich City star Gabriel Sara, who played and scored against Daniel Farke’s side in the 2023/24 campaign, has also been linked with a switch from Galatasaray.
The club’s interest in these high-profile signings show that the 49ers mean business and that they want to improve the squad, which will also come as bad news for some of the current squad.
There will be some Leeds players who played key roles in the Championship who will now be concerned about their place in the starting XI next term, and one of those will be Jayden Bogle.
Why Jayden Bogle's Leeds position is not secure
The English right-back enjoyed a sublime season in the second tier with the Whites as their first-choice right-back, beating off competition from Isaac Schmidt and Sam Byram to lock down that position on a regular basis.
Bogle ended the campaign with 44 starts in 44 league appearances, which shows that he was Farke’s bona fide first-choice right-back, and the defender delivered excellent performances during that time.
The 24-year-old full-back was signed from Sheffield United for a reported fee of £5m in the summer transfer window last year, and it is fair to say that he has repaid the club by helping them to earn promotion to the Premier League.
Bogle scored six goals, created 11 ‘big chances’, and delivered four assists in his 44 appearances in the league, which shows that he made a huge impact at the top end of the pitch from a right-back position.
However, Leeds will be battling against relegation next season and will need more defensive quality from their defenders, rather than an emphasis on their attacking ability, and the English full-back does not have a great track record in that respect.
Appearances
16
34
Goals conceded
24
98
Goals conceded per game
1.5
2.88
Clean sheets
2
1
Dribbled past
19x
34x
Ground duels won
43%
47%
As you can see in the table above, Bogle has been part of a team that has conceded 122 goals in 50 matches at Premier League level for Sheffield United in the past, more than two per game on average.
The club’s interest in signing a new right-back will, therefore, leave the defender worried because the Whites may look to replace him as a starter.
Leeds enquire about deal for Premier League defender
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Leeds United are one of the teams plotting a move to sign West Ham United right-back Vladimir Coufal in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The reporter claims that both the Whites and Everton, managed by former Hammers boss David Moyes, have enquired about a deal for the Czechia international.
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Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT: “Vladimir Coufal may be a market opportunity as well. I’m told that Leeds and Everton are the two clubs that have enquired for him. So, there is substance to both of those links for sure and like I said a moment ago, I’m fully expecting Leeds to explore the goalkeeper market.”
The experienced defender’s contract at the London Stadium expires this summer, and it has already been confirmed that he will be on his way, which has presented Leeds and Everton with the chance to snap him up for nothing.
Why this news should leave Jayden Bogle worried
Bogle should be worried by the news that Leeds are plotting a swoop to sign the 32-year-old right-back in the summer transfer window, because Coufal could arrive at Elland Road to take the Englishman’s place in the starting XI.
As aforementioned, the Whites star has struggled big time in the Premier League in his last two times in the division, particularly defensively in duels, and there is no guarantee that this time around will be any different for him.
Coufal, on the other hand, is a battle-hardened and proven Premier League defender who has been a part of a West Ham team that has avoided the drop for five consecutive seasons.
Throughout his time in the top-flight with the Hammers, the former Slavia Prague titan has shown that he can combine reliable defensive work with a creative threat in possession.
Appearances
20
36
27
28
34
Dribbled past per game
0.6x
1.0x
0.5x
0.6x
1.1x
Ground duel success rate
47%
50%
54%
52%
57%
Aerial duel success rate
60%
52%
65%
49%
56%
Big chances created
1
6
4
4
9
Assists
0
7
1
4
7
As you can see in the table above, the West Ham defender has plenty of experience in the Premier League and has usually been reliable in duels on the deck and in the air, whilst delivering ‘big chances’ and assists for his team.
Coufal, once hailed as “outstanding” by former teammate Declan Rice, has only been dribbled past more than once per game on average in his top-flight career, whilst Bogle has been dribbled past 53 times in 50 matches in the division.
These statistics indicate that the Czechia international is more likely to be a reliable option for Farke at right-back in the Premier League, based on their respective performances at that level to date.
That is not to say that Bogle cannot improve and make the step up this time around, but the arrival of the West Ham defender on a free transfer would surely leave him worried about his position because of the optics of the move, given the calibre of player coming in.
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