Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has ruled out a move for Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper report that the Whites were considering a swoop for the 21-year-old Magpies ace to provide cover for Bailey Peacock-Farrell following an injury to on-loan number two Jamal Blackman.
The Mirror claim that Bielsa has now ended the Whites’ interest in Woodman, with the Argentine insistent that any signing must fit in with their style of play and be comfortable with the ball at their feet.
Woodman is desperate to leave on loan in January, as previously reported by the Chronicle.
OPINION
In truth, a Leeds move for Woodman would have made little sense for anyone involved. The switch would likely have taken the form of a loan, with Newcastle obviously keen to keep hold of Woodman in the long-term. From the Magpies’ perspective, Woodman moving to Leeds temporarily would likely have seen him merely swap the reserves on Tyneside for the bench in Yorkshire. Such a move would not be at all beneficial for his development, which is of the utmost importance at this stage in his career. For Woodman, who is looking for regular first-team football, such an arrangement is again pointless. He would be far better off at a League One side who are ready to throw him straight into their starting XI. And finally, for Leeds, they would be bringing in a goalkeeper of minimal experience to cover for another young goalkeeper. Such an arrangement makes little sense, and Bielsa calling off the chase is therefore unsurprising.
