An innocent trial at Sheffield United may not be the most groundbreaking news at Leeds, but the potential departure of Connor Leak-Blunt could be the start of a worrying trend.
The teenager put pen to paper on a professional deal with the Whites only last summer but it already looks as though he could be on his way out of Elland Road.
An account on Twitter posted a photo of Sheffield United’s XI to face Wigan in the PDL this week and Leak-Blunt was one of the names to appear.
He also featured for the young Blades against Barnsley last week.
Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
Regardless of how big his potential is, it should come as a bit of a concern that the 17-year-old has sought a better future elsewhere.
After penning a deal until 2022 a number of months ago, the midfielder stated: “It’s good to progress as a young player coming through the ranks, so I hope I can get off to a good start as a pro. If you work hard, your dreams come true and I’m really excited to see what the future holds.”
However, it’s looking increasingly likely that his future is away from Elland Road and elsewhere in Yorkshire.
This comes in the wake of two more notable academy departures last summer. Sam Dalby left for Premier League Watford while former Academy Player of the Year, Callum Nicell also walked out.
The pair clearly didn’t see opportunities for themselves in west Yorkshire and it looks as though the same conclusion has been reached by Leak-Blunt.
With the youngster seemingly on his way out on a permanent basis, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if more players in Leeds’ youth ranks decided to pack their bags.
Marcelo Bielsa noted last week the difficulty he had with Robbie Gotts’ playing time, claiming he felt guilty that he hadn’t played yet.
The 20-year-old has featured 26 times on the bench but still hasn’t made his first-team debut.
Virtually impossible: Can you name the year all of these Leeds flops arrived at Elland Road?
Bielsa explained that it wouldn’t come as a shock if Gotts wanted to leave and this is a big problem Leeds could face in the coming months, especially if they achieve promotion.
Investment would presumably take place if they found themselves in the Premier League but with game time already limited for those rising through the ranks, they’d be bumped further down the pecking order.
For a club with a rich history of bringing players through, particularly in recent times with individuals like Kalvin Phillips, it doesn’t bode overly well for the academy.
In other Leeds news, the Whites could sign the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic if they get promoted…