Phil Hay shares how ‘rare’ Sam Byram secured Leeds United deal despite ‘big question marks’
Sam Byram convinced Leeds United to give him a contract despite “big question marks” this summer by “avoiding missing a single training session”, according to Phil Hay.
Speaking on The Square Ball on 25 September The Athletic’s Whites correspondent said that despite a “feeling of indifference” at the time of the defender’s return to Elland Road it is proving to make a “massive difference” thanks to his performances at left-back.
The former Norwich man’s injury record were behind concerns but Hay believes he is a “rare” player who is just as good at either full-back spot, and says that Daniel Farke will have told the club the 30-year-old is as good as there is in the league when fit.
Hay said (9m 30s): “When he joined the club there was this feeling of indifference about it. It wasn’t as if it was roundly criticised but I think people were indifferent because the squad was so far from being strong enough at the time and so much else that needed to be done.
“With Byram you knew that at full tilt he’d be a really good player but he’d had a lot of injuries, hadn’t played a huge amount over the previous three years, and it did beg the question, ‘is this a sensible move?’
“And I think more to the point, ‘this on its own isn’t going to make any difference to us’. Actually it turns out it might make a massive difference because he’s looking like an incredibly competent left-back.”
He went on (18m): “All that’s changed with him between leaving Leeds and coming back is that he was a right-back and he’s now a left-back, and I think he’s quite a rare player in that he can genuinely play on both sides…
“I think players at Leeds will realise that he’s had a difficult time over the past three years, it hasn’t been easy for him, and he basically got himself a contract at Leeds by avoiding missing a single training session through preseason.
“It was a good demonstration of his fitness, and there absolutely were big questions marks over whether it was a sensible signing and the right thing to do given his track record, but that demonstrated where he was at and worth having a go at.
“Farke obviously knew him really well and rated him, and said to the club, ‘I don’t think there will be a better left-back in the Championship if he’s fit’.”
Paying off
The key point when it comes to Byram is the “if he’s fit” element, and the fact that he has already missed one Championship game this term while not being fit to start two others shows it is an ongoing concern.
Even so, as a free agent pick up he could prove to be one of the signings of the season in light of how effective he has proven when he has played.
If he maintained his fitness well enough during the preseason to convince the club to sign him then there will be hopes that his rotten record in recent years – 58 league appearances in the past five years – can be significantly improved on.
There will be more than a few Whites fans who might feel more comfortable if the club had signed another left-back during the window, since their other primary option is Junior Firpo whose own injury record is just as bad and hasn’t played once yet.
Jamie Shackleton has filled in solidly so far, but whether a converted midfielder is sufficient should the other two be ruled out for crunch games later in the campaign will remain a valid question.
The Leo Hjelde experience appears to have come to a swift end after he started the opener, so it appears Byram is providing the best answer at a problem position since Stuart Dallas was ruled out long-term.
Fears over his availability will inevitably persist but for now he is proving the contract offer to be the right decision.
In other Leeds United news, Adam Pope has given his verdict on the mooted possibility of a sacking ahead of the next league game.