MOT View: Leeds star admission about new arrival is bound to see fans getting off their seats
Jean-Kevin Augustin is going to be the headline signing of January for Leeds United but let’s not forget that he is not the only new addition at Elland Road.
While young goalkeeper Elia Caprile is unlikely to be seen any time soon, there are still enough reasons for fans to be excited by Ian Poveda.
The 19-year-old attacker agreed to join Leeds on a permanent deal from Manchester City last week with his contract at the Etihad due to expire at the end of the season.
It’s bound to have been a cheap deal for the Whites and Poveda seems to be a replacement for Jack Clarke, whose been recalled from his loan spell in Yorkshire by Tottenham and since sent to QPR.
Although we have not seen much of Poveda – he has only ever made one senior appearance – the former Barcelona youngster is still an exciting prospect and first-team star Stuart Dallas has already been showing just why he can get fans off their seats in the second half of the season.
Dallas has already trained with Poveda and has been blown away by the electrifying pace he has shown at Thorp Arch.
“He’s fast and direct. He’s fitted in really well. It’s good because I haven’t seen a player take to a group as well as he’s taken to us. I’m being serious. He’s lively,” said Dallas, as quoted by The Athletic journalist Phil Hay on Monday.
“We did the murderball session last week and I was up against him. I found out how quick he was.”
Poveda could be a bit of a wildcard for Leeds in the remaining months of the Championship season.
Although Marcelo Bielsa is bound to know a lot about him due to his relationship with Pep Guardiola and his extensive research skills, the same is unlikely to be said about most other second-tier managers.
Poveda is an unknown quantity who has bags of pace.
It would not shock anyone associated with Leeds to see the England youth international tearing opponents inside out with the frightening speed he possesses.
We cannot wait to see what Poveda can do in a Leeds shirt.
In other Leeds United news, David Prutton is thrilled with this “exotic” deal that the Whites have pulled off.