Championship rivals make move to sign Leeds fan favourite – report

Mon 24 July 2017 20:58, UK

By Russell Edge

Sunderland have made an approach for Leeds United goalkeeper Rob Green, according to a report.

The Daily Mail claim that the Black Cats have been in contact with the Whites enquiring over the availability of the 37-year-old, having sold Vito Mannone to Reading earlier this week.

News of Sunderland’s interest comes just days after talkSPORT reporter Ian Abrahams had claimed that Green was set to be sold by Leeds this summer.

The news was not taken well by fans on social media, with Green having firmly established himself as a fan favourite at Elland Road, despite having only been at the club for a year.

He joined on a free transfer from Queens Park Rangers last summer, and went on to be a mainstay in the side, as he appeared in every minute of the club’s 46 league games.

However, it could be that his short stay at the club will soon be over, with Thomas Christiansen having brought in German shot stopper Felix Weidwald from Werder Bremen this summer.

Football Insider verdict

Leeds fans will be understandably livid if they sell Green to Sunderland this summer. Despite his age, the 37-year-old have proven himself as a reliable goalkeeper in the Championship, and his departure would not only weaken the Whites, but strengthen one of their rivals for promotion. While Green is unlikely to want to sit on the bench behind Weidwald during this upcoming season, he has the experience and the knowledge of the league to put up a serious fight for the number one shirt. Christiansen does not want the fans on his back before the campaign has even got underway, and so he should either keep hold of the 12-time-capped England international, or offload him to a club they are not set to be competing directly against next season.