PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JULY 17: Barry Douglas of Leeds United kicks the ball during a pre-season friendly match between Manchester United and Leeds United at Optus Stadium on July 17, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
Former Tottenham star Darren Bent has urged Leeds United to hand Barry Douglas a new contract, according to Leeds Live.
Douglas, 30, spent time at the academies of Livingston FC and Queen’s Park FC before making it through to the latter’s senior set-up. However, he failed to impress with Queen’s Park, making just 9 appearances before moving to Dundee United in the summer of 2010 on a free transfer.
In his three years at Tannadice Park, Douglas made 76 appearances, scoring 4 goals and providing 13 assists. He then had spells with clubs in Poland and Turkey before joining Wolves for the 2017/18 season, where he impressed with 5 goals and 15 assists in 42 games across all competitions.
He finished the season as the joint-highest assist-provider (14) in the Championship and helped them get promoted to the Premier League.
In the summer of 2018, Leeds United signed him and he immediately established himself as a key member of the squad. He has been with the squad for two years and his current contract is set to expire at the end of next season. Thus, Leeds should tie down the former Scottish international with a new deal at the earliest.
The Whites, meanwhile, are close to earning a promotion to the top-flight after being out of the Premier League for 16 years. Following the 1-0 win against Barnsley, they need just one point from the remaining two matches to return to the Premier League.
Having all but sealed promotion, they now need to focus on strengthening the squad if they are to sustain and prolong in the top flight.
While bringing in reinforcements to the squad, the manager should also make sure to keep hold of his key players and Douglas is one of them, who has immense experience at a higher level. Thus, they should tie him down with a new contract.
At the moment, there are four left-backs available at the manager’s disposal. Douglas featured in 14 league games this term but has lost his place to Stuart Dallas, who has been brilliant with 4 goals and 2 assists in 43 games.
The other left-backs are Ezgjan Alioski and Leif Davis. However, Alioski has mainly featured in a higher role and Davis is just 20 and inexperienced. This leaves them with just two established left-backs at the manager’s disposal. And Douglas has done a decent job whenever called upon.
The former Wolves man has made over 280 career appearances and his experience would be helpful for the team. He was instrumental in the recent outings against Blackburn Rovers and against Stoke City, where he came off the bench. And his displays proved that he is still willing to fight for his place in the team, which can be a good sign for the club moving forward.
Leeds need to keep their experienced players intact as they stand on the verge of promotion. And Douglas already has Premier League experience which would be helpful for the team next term. At 30, he still has a few more years left at a higher level, and handing a new contract to the Scotsman would be a wise decision by the club.
