Leeds United have entered pole position in the Championship after a string of five successive victories has seen them take the throne at the top of the standings.
What’s he said?
Marcelo Bielsa’s side defeated local rivals Huddersfield Town 2-0 in the west Yorkshire derby on Saturday afternoon to leapfrog West Brom into first position with only nine games remaining.
The chances of a return to the top-flight for the first time since 2004 are increasing by the week, and soon, the Argentine manager along with Victor Orta and co will have to make some huge decisions.
One of which is whether or not to extend the contract of Gaetano Berardi, who has become an integral member of their defence in recent matches.
The Athletic’s Phil Hay has weighed in on the debate and suggested that he if were involved, then he would be ‘tempted’ to hand him a short-term deal. He said in his post-match Q&A:
One less priority
The Whites have not only won five in a row but have also kept a clean sheet in every single one of those matches with the 31-year-old featuring in two of the last three.
Berardi has only played 17 league games this term for a total of just 961 minutes, and Leeds have shut out the opposition in nearly 60% of his appearances, so he’s clearly had a very profitable input whenever he’s been handed a start.
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The Elland Road outfit are set to lose loanee Ben White in the summer as he will return to parent club Brighton & Hove Albion, so it may well be wise to somewhat resolve what will be a pressing need come to the end of the season
Berardi has been reliable enough whenever given a chance as his numbers above show – and even if he doesn’t feature in their long-term plans, he can become a viable backup option in the short-term as Bielsa looks to find a replacement for the impressive Seagulls man.
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