Hammond could land dream Byram rival in Leeds swoop for £5.2m dynamo

The January transfer window officially opened for business on Monday and Leeds United could use this month to bolster their playing squad.

They are currently fighting to secure a top two finish in the Championship to earn automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The Whites are, however, fourth in the division and seven points adrift of Ipswich Town in second place after a run of two wins in their last six league matches.

Daniel Farke‘s side did run out 3-0 winners against Birmingham on New Year’s Day and left-back Junior Firpo produced a surprisingly impressive display off the bench.

However, the former Barcelona full-back has not proven himself to be a reliable performer in recent seasons and left-back appears to be a position that the club are looking to strengthen in before the end of the month.

Leeds transfer news – Josh Doig

It was recently reported by Gianluca Di Marzio, via Toro Goal on X, that Leeds are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a possible swoop to sign Hellas Verona left-back Josh Doig.

Serie A side Torino are said to be set to open talks with their fellow Italian outfit over a deal to sign the Scottish defender, who they attempted to sign ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

However, they are not alone in their interest as the Whites, Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers, and AC Monza are also said to be in the running.

Those three clubs have also made contact with Hellas Verona but it remains to be seen whether or not they are prepared to jump in with a formal offer for his services.

It was claimed that the Italian team are demanding a fee of €6m (£5.2m) for the former Premiership full-back in order to part ways with him this month.

His intermediaries are working to get a transfer ironed out for Doig this month as he looks to take the next step in his career but there is no mention of who he would like to join or who is currently leading the race to land the talented gem’s signature.

Leeds recruitment chief Nick Hammond must now work hard to secure a deal for the impressive youngster as he could arrive as a dream rival for Sam Byram on the left side of Farke’s defence, ahead of the unreliable Firpo.

Firpo’s season in numbers

The 27-year-old defender has missed a whopping 20 competitive matchday squads in all competitions so far this season for the Whites.

He has made six appearances in the Championship this term and contributed with 1.8 tackles and interceptions combined and 1.2 ball recoveries per match.

The former Real Betis star did provide two assists off the bench against Birmingham on Monday but had only assisted three goals in his previous 48 league matches in the Premier League and second division combined for the club.

In the top-flight last term, Firpo was dribbled past 1.2 times per match and only made 0.4 key passes per game as the dud struggled at both ends of the pitch across 19 appearances.

Sam Byram’s season in numbers

Leeds brought Byram in on a free transfer over the summer and he has proven to be an astute pick-up by Farke from his former club – Norwich City.

The right-footed defender has been mainly utilised at left-back and caught the eye with his defensively solid performances at the back.

Byram has made 3.2 tackles and interceptions combined and 4.4 ball recoveries per match across 20 Championship appearances this term.

However, the full-back has played on his weaker foot on the left flank and this restricts how much he can bomb on to support the attack with width.

The English titan currently ranks in the top 50% of full-backs in the division for successful take-ons (0.66) and the top 45% for progressive carries (2.24) per 90, which shows that he is not an outstanding option in his position when it comes to driving forward with the ball at his feet.

Byram has also allowed opposition players to dribble past him 0.7 times per match and has won 51% of his duels, which suggests that he is fairly average when it comes to competing in physical duels at the back.

The statistics that show why Leeds should sign Doig

Hammond could now secure a dream rival to the Englishman’s position in the side at left-back for Farke by landing a deal to sign Doig from Hellas Verona before the window slams shut.

He is a naturally left-footed defender who could provide Leeds with more balance down the left as he is able to open up onto his strong foot to play out or drive down the line to progress his team up the pitch.

Over the last 365 days, Doig ranks within the top 8% of full-backs in the Men’s Big Five Leagues and European competitions for successful take-ons (1.59) and the top 37% for progressive carries (2.30) per 90.

This suggests that the Scottish ace has the ability to offer more quality in possession in comparison to Byram, who does not take on opposition players anywhere near as frequently.

Journalist Josh Bunting once described his dribbling skills as a “joy to watch” with the way that the former Hibernian prospect is able to jink past defenders and move forward.

Doig has also been difficult for opponents to beat so far this season as he has only been dribbled past 0.4 times in ten Serie A appearances, and has won 53% of his duels.

This suggests that the Leeds centre-backs could have fewer crosses to deal with as opposition players do not beat Doig as regularly as they get past Byram out wide.

Therefore, Hammond could land a fantastic rival for, and possible upgrade on, the former Norwich enforcer by beating the likes of Torino and Rangers to the 22-year-old dynamo’s signature over the coming weeks.

At the age of 22, Doig is also a player with potential who could develop and improve under Farke’s coaching, whereas Byram is at the opposite end of his career at 30 and does not have that luxury.