Leeds missed a trick by failing to following up reported interest in Harlee Dean

Leeds United are desperately in need of a new centre-back to their squad for promotion before the end of the summer window, and should have hijack Birmingham’s deal to the signing of Harlee Dean.

According to West London Sport, it claimed that the Whites were interested in the 26-year-old this summer, with Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City also said to be monitory the former Brentford defender situations.

However, Harry Redknapp decided to move fast to front of the queue and sign the commanding centre-back before anyone else on Wednesday, in one of many late signings made by the Blues.

Thomas Christiansen’s side are light at centre-back, which has seen the Irish defender Conor Shaughnessy come into the first team at times to cover the lack of Leeds options at the heart of the defence.

Everton on-loan defender Matthew Pennington suffered an ankle injury in the first game of the season, landing clumsily as he leaped into the air to win a header.

It leaves just Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson as the Whites first-team options at the heart of the defence, with Shaughnessy showing a lack of experience in his first appearances for the club while Luke Ayling remains at right-back.

Offering much abundance of Championship experience, leading at as captain at the back due to his time as Brentford captain and a knockdown of just £2million which saw him sign for Birmingham, would have made him the perfect signing.

Harlee Dean has 122 second-tier appearances to his name after joining Brentford from Dagenham & Redbridge in the summer of 2012, but the powerful defender showed his best last season.

The defender captained the Bees side in all of his 45 league and cup encounters, scoring three times, providing three assists and helping Dean Smith’s outfit keep 12 clean sheets.

Birmingham’s number 12 would have been the perfect signing at Elland Road to provide cover at the heart of defence, but Christiansen will have to rely on the versatility of Ayling and the up-and-coming Shaughnessy if injury strikes.