Leeds United are set to sanction a loan exit for Sonny Perkins this summer as he aims to get more game time in the 23/24 campaign.
The Whites’ youth investment in previous seasons has them set up well to cushion the blow of relegation with key players coming into the senior side full-time next term.
However, there are still some that could do with getting more experience in the EFL before becoming important players at Elland Road.
TEAMtalk are now reporting that three Championship clubs are queuing up to sign Sonny Perkins on loan as Leeds look set to let him leave for the season ahead.
The three in question are Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, and Sunderland – all three of those being in the Championship with Leeds.
Here, we look at why Leeds need to be cautious about how they sanction this loan exit for Perkins…
Strengthening rivals
Two of these teams that are keen on signing him finished sixth (Sunderland) and seventh (Blackburn) last season, and are already making moves to go one better this time around.
This sort of interest should instantly be greeted with caution at Elland Road, considering whether it’s smart to let a very talented young player go to one of our direct rivals.
If Perkins goes to either of these clubs and hits the ground running with double figures in goals, the club will look so foolish for not only letting him go, but to a side that are battling for promotion.
It’s one thing loaning out Joe Gelhardt when he’s not in our side and we’re not in the division, it’s another gifting a player to a side we’re competing against.
Will he play often?
The main thing for Leeds when shipping out a key youngster is making sure they are heading to the right environment to develop.
Sunderland would be a great destination, unfortunately for us, based on how Tony Mowbray has developed young players, should they not be forced to play Perkins as a lone striker as they were with Gelhardt last term as Ross Stewart sat out.
Having said this, the other two clubs here also both want to blood youngsters into their first team with Jon Dahl Tomasson investing in young players already while John Eustace has a host of talented players coming through at Birmingham.
