Leeds United were in complete tatters last season, be it under the tutelage of Thomas Christiansen or Paul Heckingbottom. They finished at the 13th spot in the Championship table with 60 points to their name, 15 points adrift of the nearest playoff spot. Impliedly, the Whites failed to impose any sort of a serious challenge for promotion to the Premier League.
As a consequence of the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa as the new navigator of the club, a lot of expectations regarding new signings were anticipated by Leeds United fans. However, Bielsa has been relatively inactive in his endeavours in the summer transfer window, or so it seems. After the signing of Lewis Baker on loan from Chelsea, the Argentine has managed to lure another Chelsea player on a temporary basis in Jamal Blackman to the Elland Road.
Securing the signature of Blackman makes a lot of sense, as the goalkeeping sector was unarguably one of the areas which was required to be bolstered. After the departures of Andy Lonergan and Felix Wiedwald earlier this summer, Bailey Peacock-Farrell was the only senior shot-stopper in the books of the Yorkshire based outfit, who has just 12 Championship starts under his belt.
Blackman emerged through the youth ranks of Chelsea but he hasn’t been able to carve a notable place for himself in the senior side of the Blues. Loan spells with Middlesbrough, Ostersunds, Wycombe Wanderers and Sheffield United have undoubtedly brushed him but he is unlikely to dethrone Thibaut Courtois from the Belgian’s place in the starting line-up of the Blues anytime soon.
Although Chelsea’s youth system hasn’t really produced a standout goalkeeper for quite some time, Blackman is one of the highly rated custodians to have surfaced. He is known for his superb reflexes and excellent response to any danger and no wonder the former Premier League champions are still holding on to him. He is a player who is maturing with every passing day and has proven himself to be a composed man between the sticks.
His height of 6’6” gives him an added advantage and more often than not, he has been seen barking orders at the defenders to organise the backline and his leadership qualities have shone through on many occasions. Blackman has been garnering valuable experience under his belt during his loan spells and thus, his developmental process hasn’t stagnated. Arguably, this might be the last loan spell for the 24-year-old and he really needs to impress in order to have a chance of breaking into Chelsea’s line-up next season.