Leeds United, under the stewardship of their new manager Marcelo Bielsa, lured Chelsea’s highly rated young gun Izzy Brown to the Elland Road on a season-long loan deal during the summer transfer window. The versatile attacker can operate as a striker, attacking midfielder or winger.
Brown emerged through the youth ranks of Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion but at the age of 16, he decided to move to the Stamford Bridge. Intriguingly, Albion’s head of academy recruitment Steve Hopcroft showcased his disappointment of losing Brown during an interview with BBC back in 2016.
Hopcroft said: “He’s the one that got away for me. The manager at the time, Steve Clarke, was ready to make him an integral part of the team. We had a potential £20-£30-£40 million player that the fans would have loved, full of flair and skill. He could take on six players from his own half and score.”
The 21-year-old, however, hasn’t been able to carve any real mark for the Blues, although he has accumulated loan spells with Vitesse, Rotherham United, Huddersfield Town and Brighton & Hove Albion so far in his career. Currently, he is making his recovery from a torn ACL and he does need to make a superb impression with the Whites this term.