Leeds United have placed a big emphasis on improving the defensive areas of their squad during the summer transfer window ahead of the Premier League opener against Everton.
Daniel Farke has added Lucas Perri, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Sean Longstaff, and Anton Stach to improve the strength of the team out of possession.
The Whites have also brought in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha in the centre-forward position to compete for a starting spot as the number nine, but they have yet to bolster their options out wide since Manor Solomon returned to Tottenham Hotspur.
Leeds closing in on deal for defender
Despite the need for more attacking players before the end of the summer transfer window, the Championship champions are now looking to bring in another defensive option.
According to LeedsUnitedNews, the club are closing in on a deal to sign Leicester City’s versatile full-back James Justin on a permanent transfer.
The report claims that the former England international is set to cost a fee of around £6m, with Leeds looking to beat Everton to his signature this summer.
It adds that Justin believes that he can come in and earn a starting spot straight away, either at left-back or right-back, which does not suggest that this is a signing with purely depth in mind.
Why this is bad news for Sam Byram
Sam Byram put pen to paper on a new one-year contract earlier this summer to play a back-up role as a versatile full-back who can play on the right or the left.
Jayden Bogle and Gudmundsson are the first-choice options at right-back and left-back, respectively, and the experienced Englishman is the current back-up in both positions.
This is why the arrival of Justin on a permanent deal from Leicester would be bad news for the Leeds academy graduate, because the Foxes star would, essentially, take his place in the pecking order.
Justin, like Byram, can play at right-back or left-back with ease and will provide strong competition in both positions, possibly being the first-choice replacement for Gudmundsson or Bogle, instead of the former Norwich man.
|
24/25 season |
Justin (Premier League) |
Byram (Championship) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
36 |
36 |
|
Goals |
2 |
1 |
|
Assists |
2 |
1 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
2.9 |
1.5 |
|
Duels won per game |
5.0 |
2.3 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
59% |
60% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
55% |
50% |
As you can see in the table above, Justin offered more to his team defensively and in possession than Byram at league level last season, whilst playing in the Premier League.
These statistics, and the respective leagues that they were produced in, suggest that Leeds would be improving the quality of their options in both full-back positions by splashing £6m on the Foxes star to be a Byram upgrade, in a way.
Justin, who was described as an “adventurous” full-back by pundit Tony Cascarino, is a proven Premier League performer with the experience to hit the ground running at Elland Road, which also means that he will not need much time to adapt to the division.
Therefore, this could be bad news for Byram because he could be instantly dropped down the pecking order to, essentially, third-choice full-back on the right and the left, as the Leicester man can play both sides.
Whilst it appears to be bad news for Byram and his prospects for the 2025/26 campaign, it does appear to be an upgrade and a good piece of business for Leeds, who look set to sign an experienced, strong, and versatile Premier League-level full-back to bolster their squad.
