Leeds United player finalises permanent Elland Road exit to EFL club | OneFootball

Blackpool have announced that they have completed a deal to sign Leeds United defender Oliver Casey on a three-year deal.

Casey has found regular game time in the Leeds senior squad hard to come by in recent seasons, which is understandable, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side settling into life back in the Premier League relatively quickly.

The youngster has made three senior appearances in total for the Leeds first-team, but is behind the likes of Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente in the pecking order at Elland Road heading into the 2021/22 campaign.

Speaking in an interview with Blackpool’s official website, Casey expressed his eagerness to get started with the Tangerines, and highlighted the stature of the club as one of the reasons why he wanted to sign for the newly-promoted side.

“I’m really excited to get started. Once I knew of Blackpool’s interest, I was really keen to get this done.

“I’ve been at Leeds for ten years, but I feel now is the right time to move on and make the next step in my career. Leeds have given me a good platform to build on, and what better place to join them from than Blackpool.

“This is such a big Club, and to play in the Championship with Blackpool is something I’m really looking forward to.”

Blackpool won promotion into the Championship last term under the management of Neil Critchley, after they beat Lincoln City in the League One play-off final at Wembley.

The Tangerines boss will be hoping that Casey can make a positive impact at Bloomfield Road, as they look to get off to a winning start to life back in the second tier, which is set to start in August.

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The Verdict:

This could turn out to be an excellent signing for Blackpool.

Casey was clearly highly-rated by Leeds United, having featured for the club’s first-team in the past, but it made sense for the Whites to move him on permanently this summer.

At the age of 20, he’s got his best years ahead of him, and the Bloomfield Road faithful will be hoping that he can hit the ground running ahead of the new season, which is set to get underway in August.

This is a smart bit of business by the Tangerines, and if they can add a few more faces to their squad this summer, then I can see them not being troubled by the threat of relegation back into League One.