As the January transfer window kicks on, Leeds United fans are looking to acquire at least one more player, hopefully in the form of a striker. And while Luke Ayling’s injury is a massive one, its important to remember that there is depth at RB. Gaetano Berardi can finally get some games in on his natural side, new boy Laurens de Bock can come in on the left, and Vurnon Anita has the best chance he’s had all season to get minutes.
A position that does not have the luxury of depth is at centre back. We’ve been spoiled to have Pontus Jansson grace our pitch. No one could have expected that Liam Cooper would be this good. But after that, there isn’t much. I’ve liked what I’ve seen in the limited time I’ve had of Matthew Pennington. If there’s any legs to the rumors of Leeds signing him long term, I’m so for it. Connor Shaughnessy had a rough introduction to the centre back position, but he’s been pretty good there as well. But how confident are you in your team when one (or both) starting centre backs are out? Yellow cards were a problem for Pontus last year, and Liam Cooper has the occasional Scottish warrior moment. I think its a concern that not enough people are talking about.
Luckily, I found someone who can solve these issues. Someone who can be a plug in player, who stars in being ready when called upon.
Ladies ‘n gents, he’s from Gladbeck, Germany. He’s 26 years young. He stands at 1,89 m (~6’2”). He honed his craft through the ranks of German football, representing the Germans at the u21 level and even receiving a call-up to the senior team bench. Introducing.....
Pierre-.
-Michel.
Lasogga.
Don’t tell me that Prime Minister Lasogg’s here couldn’t be an amazing backup to Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper. With his pace being an issue, centre back is the perfect next step in Lasogga’s career, as he transitions away from the cardio-needy striker position. At centre back, he can relax and stand around much like Leeds fans are used to seeing him do already, so you can expect him to have great marking ability and a quick transition. The pace argument is a good one, but I give you (fellow countryman) Per Mertesacker. Maybe he can learn a thing or to from the Arsenal defender.
Pierre-Michel has one thing you can’t train, and that is height. His height can work wonders for him at centre back. It gives him the ability to be an aerial threat on the pitch and a great attacking asset when it comes to corners and free kicks. He already has 5 goals this year for the Whites, and that can only go up as you only have to focus on using your head to get the ball in the net, and not worry about using your feet. On the defensive side of things, it will give Lasogga a distinct aerial advantage in duels. Jansson, who is 1,95m (6’5”), and Lasogga would become greatest ragdoll defender combo ever seen under the Thomas Christiansen regime, as I’m sure the German will learn from the Swede how to properly utilize his body to block shots. Don’t underestimate the height intimidation factor, either. One more thing to note, his shoes. Per transfermarkt.com, Pierre-Michel wears the Nike Hypervenom Phantom III FG. If Lasogga wears the colorway that’s on the site, he’ll look even more like a traffic cone.
Getting game time at centre back also helps out Pierre-Michel, as he’s fresh from injury. In case he’s lost any stamina, Leeds can play him from the back and have him build up his strength from there. Being rusty and lacking confidence can happen, too. So giving the big man some time with the back line is only going to help.
Lasogga is one of, if not the, highest earning players at Elland Road, so he deserves to be playing. If Christiansen ever wanted to get fancy, Liam Cooper can play some left back, leaving a spot in the middle for Lasogga. With Lasogga out of the way, St. Thomas can satisfy both the German loanee and his beloved striking option, Jay-Roy Grot. He can even go with Kemar Roofe, Paweł Cibicki, and Caleb Ekuban -when he’s back from injury- if he so choosed. Wow, what a variety of talent TC can pick from when Lasogga isn’t playing striker.
When is comes to looking for the Whites stud backup centre back, there’s a couple things you can do.
A) Go out and buy someone
B) Go out and buy someone for the youth team
C) Don’t spend any money, and convert Pierre-Michel Lasogga to centre back
I know my answer, do you know yours?