MOT View: Leeds worry as journalist admission casts doubt over player reportedly close to signing
Leeds United are reportedly on the verge of signing young winger Ian Poveda from Manchester City with the view to adding him to their first-team squad.
According to Football Insider, Poveda has agreed terms with the Whites and is due in West Yorkshire later this week to undergo a medical and put the finishing touches towards his transfer away from the Etihad.
The Athletic have reported that Poveda has grown unsettled at Man City after being demoted from the first-team the Under-23s but that has still not stopped Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta from becoming interested in a permanent deal for the 19-year-old this month.
However Manchester Evening News journalist Simon Bajkowski, who covers the youth set-up at Man City, has offered a worrying admission about the quality of the player that Leeds seem set to sign.
Poveda has made a senior appearance for Man City, which is more than what a lot of the youngsters who rise through the ranks at the Etihad can say.
The London-born attacker, who can play anywhere in the attack, completed 90 minutes of a 1-0 win against Burton Albion in the Carabao Cup last season but has not featured since.
He must have been thoroughly scouted by Leeds for them to decide he is a good enough addition for their senior squad but Bajkowski is not convinced he has what it takes to shine in the Championship.
When asked by LeedsLive whether Poveda is ready for the second-tier, the Manchester Evening News reporter said: “I honestly don’t know. The Championship is one of the most brutal leagues out there and in the cutthroat conditions at either end of the table it is one hell of a call to play someone that has barely played a competitive game.
“I wouldn’t have put the Championship as an ideal league for Poveda, but at the same time he has experience training in the City squad and has been one of the better prospects in a very good academy.”
It is pretty worrying that someone who has seen a lot of Poveda – and is likely to talk up the talent that is on offer at Man City – would admit that he cannot see the England Under-20 impressing in the Championship.
It is not to say that Poveda won’t do well for Leeds, but it is certainly something for fans to think about as the Whites close in on a deal for the player.
Poveda is short at 5ft 7in tall [transfermarkt] and is quite a tricky and nimble winger who may well get pushed off the ball when coming up against some of the Championship’s more physical defenders.
Of course, he could still do well; Pablo Hernandez is not one of the most physical of players yet he is still among the best in the Championship.
We will have to wait and see how Poveda does if he signs for Leeds but this is not the most encouraging of reports on the Elland Road-bound teenager.
In other Leeds United news, there’s been an update on Leeds’ pursuit of Aberdeen striker Sam Cosgrove.