Leeds United have pulled off a masterstroke by managing to lure Barry Douglas from Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Elland Road for an undisclosed fee. Douglas has signed a three-year deal with the Championship outfit and owing to the calibre he possesses, he should be able to nail down a place for himself in the starting line-up of Marcelo Bielsa this season.
Most of the Wolves fans must be shocked by the exit of Douglas from the Molineux Stadium. The Scottish international played a pivotal role in the tactical nous of Nuno Espirito Santo last season in the Championship and helped them in securing the league silverware. Impliedly, Wolves got themselves promoted to the Premier League and it was expected that Douglas would play an important part upon their return to the Premier League.
However, the Portuguese manager acquired the services of Jonny Castro on loan from Atletico Madrid and it was deemed that Douglas was surplus to the requirements of the top flight’s newcomers. The 28-year-old made 39 appearances for Wolves last term and managed to score 5 goals and register 14 assists. Besides, he made 2.1 tackles, 1 interception, 1.7 clearances and 0.1 blocks per game on an average.
Leeds United were in a stuttering form throughout last season and neither Thomas Christiansen nor Paul Heckingbottom could extract the best out of the players. As a result, the Whites were never really in the race for promotion to the Premier League and eventually, they finished at the 13th spot in the league standings. The left-back position was unarguably one of the main areas of concern for the Yorkshire based club.
Signing Douglas is certainly a galvanizing move by Bielsa to strengthen his camp and it makes a lot of sense. The former Konyaspor man is capable of plying his trade as a left-back as well as a left wing-back and has garnered plenty of experience under his belt. He toils relentlessly up and down the pitch and is a good crosser of the ball.
He is a cunning operator and his direct approach play will be welcomed by Leeds who have toiled in the final third recently. Besides, he is good in possession and knits a fine balance between his defensive and offensive endeavours. He is not just restricted to defending and hanging back. As seen from his stats, he will put pressure on his adversary and bombs down the left channel at every given opportunity. Having helped Wolves to secure their promotion, Douglas would be keen to do the same with his new employers.
