Last week we discussed how Leeds United needed to do right by Jay-Roy Grot and find him a new club in January so that the 22-year-old doesn’t waste valuable time in his footballing career, but there has been something of a twist in Grot’s tale.
Indeed, the Dutchman was surprisingly included in Leeds’ 25-man Premier League squad, and while it could be argued that he’s just making up the numbers and that Leeds needed someone to fill that spot, it’s worth considering that neither Ouasim Bouy nor Conor Shaughnessy were included despite both being eligible and there being space in the squad.
Grot was included while Bouy and Shaughnessy were happily left out, so that may indicate that there’s a slight chance that he may get an opportunity in the Premier League, and it’s one he has to take.
It’s been speculated that he’d never get the chance to play under Bielsa, and while he wasn’t all that impressive during his time as a first-teamer at the club following his £1.44m move, we’ve seen this before.
Mateusz Klich was loaned out just six months after he joined Leeds, and it was speculated that his time at the club was over when he was sent out to Utrecht after just 10 games for the Whites, but here we are three years later and he’s one of United’s most important players.
Grot needs to undergo that same transformation, he was labelled as ‘lazy’ by Noel Whelan on BBC Radio Leeds (via Football Insider) during his last season with the club, and that sort of mindset and attitude simply won’t fly if he’s trying to impress Bielsa.
Either way, Grot’s inclusion in Leeds’ Premier League squad symbolises a light at the end of the tunnel that wasn’t there before, and it will be interesting to see if he gets a shot this season.
