Spotted: Imminent Leeds United signing already wearing the shirt, also watched 7-0 Cardiff win
Spotted: Imminent Leeds United signing already wearing the shirt, also watched 7-0 Cardiff win
Leeds United are said to have a pre-contract agreement in place for talented Nigerian centre-back Leonard Ngenge this summer, expected to join the club in August when he turns 18.
The Whites have their eyes still on a Premier League return this season despite their five dropped points in the last two games, and with that comes long-term transfer strategy needing to be considered.
Scouting young talent has taken more of a focus in recent months with the club landing U21 signings since relegation while handing trials to others from Premier League clubs too.
Sporting director: Leonard Ngenge will join Leeds in August
There were previous reports claiming that Leeds had completed a pre-contract agreement to sign teenage Nigerian centre-back Leonard Ngenge from Ikorodu City.
It has now been confirmed by Ikorodu City’s sporting director, Wale Quadri, that the 17-year-old will be heading to West Yorkshire in the summer upon his 18th birthday in August:
“Ngenge has an existing deal with Leeds United, it’s a pre-contract,” Quadri said to All Nigerian Soccer. “By August he should be joining Leeds. He was scouted in Nigeria and then invited to Leeds for further training.
“He came back like two weeks ago from Leeds. That should be his second visit to Leeds. He is being signed as a player for the future, they are waiting for him to turn 18 years,” the sporting director added.
Spotted: Ngenge has already been at Thorp Arch and Elland Road wearing the shirt
More evidence suggesting Leeds have an agreement to sign the centre-back is that Ngenge himself hasn’t been hiding his affiliation with the Whites on social media, posting photos in a Leeds shirt on Instagram.
He also shared a post from his previous trip to Leeds for his trial, as confirmed by Quadri, where he was in attendance for Leeds’ 7-0 battering of Cardiff in the director’s box:
Another exciting young signing through the doors at Leeds
It’s hard to really get a good understanding of the quality Ngenge possesses, but for the club to fly out in order to scout him says a lot.
He’s clearly a very talented player and hopefully a star in the making for Leeds, tapping into a global pool of talent more effectively than we previously have been.
It’s a shame he’s only going to be allowed to join once he turns 18 in August, meaning he’s going to miss a chance at impressing in pre-season this summer.
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