Leeds United defender Jayden Bogle will play an important part this season, and Leeds Live has taken a look at what the new acquisition will offer to Elland Road.
Jayden Bogle is now travelling up the M1, but this is familiar ground for Leeds United’s new acquisition, who understands what it takes to get out of the Championship. Bogle brings with him invaluable promotion experience from Sheffield United, but it was not the only reason Leeds jumped at this £5 million purchase.
Bogle, after all, still has so much space for development, and the 24-year-old can grow with the club if Leeds return to the promised land, having already stepped up on the big stage with Premier League goals against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Manchester United last season. It’s clear why former Leeds manager Paul Heckingbottom believes Bogle will be a ‘fantastic addition’ for the Whites, having previously worked with the defender at Sheffield United.
“He trains well, works hard, is a fit boy and his 1 v 1 defending and willingness to defend is probably a lot better than he gets credit for.”
Bogle will need to be good defensively, but the new signing will be able to play to his strengths at Leeds, who tend to dominate possession, and the 24-year-old would rather take his man on, attempt a forward pass, or dash to the byline than play it safe and square it repeatedly. That quality will be essential, especially when teams sit back at Elland Road, and Bogle will help replace a significant need left by the departure of Archie Gray, who dominated the position last season.
These are extremely different players and characters, but Bogle is also low-maintenance off the pitch. This is a ‘down to earth’ figure who, according to Heckingbottom, ’causes no difficulties’ and ‘simply wants to do well’ – not only for himself, but also for those close to him.
Sheffield United, for example, requested each player to give a presentation about their life to bring the team closer together. Bogle’s conversation focused on his family and football, which was quite telling.
That would not have surprised former Derby County teammate Curtis Davies, who believes the new signing will be a’massive addition’ for Leeds.
“The big thing with Bogez is he’s a really good kid and a good family man,” Davies explained to Leeds Live. “He does everything for his mother and brother.”
“When he started doing well and earned his contract, one of the first things he did was get his mother a car and make sure his brother had this and that, which is what I liked about him. He has obviously listened.
“He has wonderful stuff and has done well for himself, but his family comes first. That is how he has always been.
“Now he has his own little family, which he formed with his partner. He already has one boy and is expecting another. He is highly family-oriented, and he wants to do everything he can to provide his family with the finest life possible.
“He wants to do everything he can to provide opportunities for his brother and mother that he may not have had when he was younger. It reveals a lot about him as an individual.”
