Leeds to turn to Jenas in search of quality midfield option

Promotion chasing Leeds United are thought to be leading the chase for Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas and could complete a loan deal until January in the next few days.

The Yorkshire club are 7/2 to bring Premier League football back to Elland Road at the end of the cmapaign and a proven top-level talent such as Jenas can only help their cause.

The 29-year-old has been told he does not figure in Andre Villas Boas’ first-team plans and saw a similar move to Sunderland collapse on deadline day.

Jenas, capped 21 times by England, should prove an excellent addition to a midfield lacking in creativity following the departures of Adam Clayton and Robert Snodgrass, yet his work ethic and inexhaustible energy levels will see him fit snugly into the current fold.

A ruptured achilles tendon hampered the former Newcastle and Nottingham Forest man’s loan spell at Aston Villa last term – restricting him to just three appearances – and a four-month stint in the Championship could provide the perfect career revival platform.

He started his career in the second tier as an 18-year-old where an impressive half-season was enough to tempt Newcastle to part with £5m for his signature.

This shows that, firstly, Jenas has the ability required to succeed at this level and is also familiar with the Championship’s occasionally attritional tendencies, which has proven a thorn in the side of unsuspecting players dropping down from the Premier League before.

After a solid start, Leeds sit seventh in the Championship table on as many points and, with games against Cardiff, Hull and Nottingham Forest next up, they now have a realistic chance to steal a march on their promotion rivals in their early exchanges of the season.

Acquiring a player of international calibre could make the difference between Leeds and the long list of sides who all consider themselves knee-deep in what is sure to be the messiest Championship promotion tussle to date.

All odds and markets are correct as of the time of publication