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What impact would Joleon Lescott have on Leeds United?
They say central defenders peak at around the age of 28-32.
Joleon Lescott is currently 33, so in theory, should be playing near enough some of the best football of his life. That said, he did play for Aston Villa last season, so maybe that needs to be taken with a pinch of salt…
Lescott has amassed a wealth of Premier League experience and earned 26 England caps in the process, and played for his country as recently as 2013. At Manchester City he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup, adding to his promotion via the play-offs to the top flight with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2003.
Admittedly the words ‘Joleon Lescott’ in August 2016 do not have connotations of the man from Birmingham’s historic successes. No, realistically nowadays people associate him with dodgy excuses for sending antagonistic tweets and his role in Aston Villa’s dire 2015/2016 season.
In the last 24 hours, Lescott has with a move to Championship side Leeds United and their new boss Garry Monk.
What impact will he have on Leeds United? An overwhelmingly positive one, if everything goes according to plan.
Not only does Lescott have over 280 Premier League appearances, but has also amassed over 200 second tier matches. This is a perfect combination for Leeds United, as Lescott has experience of the very top level but also the difficult and challenging league that is the Championship. A blend of both is just what the doctor ordered as far as Leeds United is concerned.
What fans of West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa did not see of Lescott was a goal-scoring threat. The left-footer only netted once in a West Brom shirt and repeated this feat for Villa. However, fans of Wolves, Everton and Manchester City will have much more regular memories of jumping up and celebrating a Lescott goal (invariably a header).
Lescott scored on 13 occasions for Wolves, nine times for Manchester City and a very respectable 17 times for Everton across just three full seasons, including ten in all competitions in the 2007/2008 campaign. If Lescott was to chip in with a few goals from set pieces for Leeds, as well as solidifying their back four, then he would be the near perfect central defender. His track record suggests he definitely has it in him.
Don't let the door hit your arse on the way out, , it might accidentally send a tweet.
— Ian Symes 🌹🇪🇺 (@ianiansymes)
This Aston Villa fan is not too upset to see the back of Lescott and harshly references his poor Twitter track record. This is a sentiment echoed across the claret and blue side of England’s second city.
However, I do believe that Lescott could a shrewd acquisition and a great piece of business for Garry Monk, bring great experience to the table, and maybe a fresh slate is exactly what he needs. Aston Villa’s loss is Leeds United’s gain. Just maybe take a break from Twitter, Joleon?
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