Leeds United comfortably progressed through to the next round of the FA Cup against Peterborough United last weekend, Ethan Ampadu playing further back in a centre-back role and even scoring twice in the resounding 3-0 win despite the positional switch for the day.
The ex-Chelsea youngster turned dependable Whites star could be utilised more often in a back four as a result, especially with Pascal Struijk's recent injury woes troubling Daniel Farke and his Championship side.
Sammie Szmodics
Blackburn
25
16
3
Adam Armstrong
Southampton
26
13
9
Morgan Whittaker
Plymouth
26
13
5
Crysencio Summerville
Leeds
23
12
6
Jack Clarke
Sunderland
26
12
2
Jonathan Rowe
Norwich
24
10
2
With Struijk's return date from a slight knock unknown at this point – the Dutchman sitting out the contest in Cambridgeshire as a result – Farke could well be tempted to add another centre-back to his promotion-chasing group to ease any growing concerns with this wantaway Premier League defender potentially taking his fancy.
Leeds transfer latest – Chris Mepham
When speaking to GIVEMESPORT recently, talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook opened up about what the January transfer window could look like from a Leeds perspective.
Crook boldly stated that the promotion-hungry Whites could be 'quite ambitious' this month to help in their pursuit of promotion glory come the end of the season, with Chris Mepham one name the Leeds hierarchy allegedly admire as one potential incoming.
The current AFC Bournemouth centre-back would be up for leaving the South Coast behind as well according to recent reports, the 26-year-old is disheartened by his lack of minutes at the Vitality Stadium under Andoni Iraola and is 'open to all options' about a move away according to the Bournemouth Echo.
Signed by Bournemouth for a reported fee of £12m from Brentford in 2019 – the Bees saddened to see their young star go at the time – the Welshman could well view a move down a division to Leeds as a way to reignite his stuttering career and prove doubters at the Cherries wrong.
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ByLuke RandallFeb 1, 2024 Why Chris Mepham would be a good signing for Leeds
Signing Mepham would see Leeds have an invasion of Welsh defenders in their first-team ranks, with Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu fellow compatriots of the solid 26-year-old alongside murmurs of Leeds being in for Connor Roberts this month from Burnley.
Farke will hope those links can see Mepham come in and do a job in the defence at Leeds alongside his familiar teammates, with the 6 foot 4 titan a trusty defensive option to rely on in the Championship.
At the level previously under ex-Bournemouth boss Scott Parker, Mepham played a key role in the second-tier club achieving promotion with the sternest defence in the division – leaking only 39 goals across the 46-game season.
This even saw Parker describe Mepham as "fantastic" when praising his team after a Championship contest versus Coventry City that season, selecting the towering centre-back boldly after months out in the treatment room but helping his side all the same to a confident 3-0 victory.
Despite only starting two games this campaign in the Premier League under new management, Mepham has proven himself to be a reliable defender in the top flight when selected regularly before the arrival of Iraola.
Looking at FBRef, over the last year, Mepham excels in his basic defensive duties with an astounding 6.17 clearances averaged per 90 minutes on top of registering two tackles.
Selected by Iraola against Swansea City in the EFL Cup earlier this season the 26-year-old show signs of his class against second-tier opposition too, winning eight of his 12 duels against the Swans alongside notching up two key passes.
Thankfully for Mepham, despite giving away a penalty in the game, Bournemouth ran out 3-2 victors in Wales.
Minutes played
90
Clearances
8
Duels won
8/12
Touches
88
Key passes
2
With the slow and steady approach Leeds like to play when coming out from the back before breaking with pace in attack, Mepham could slot into the Leeds first team without looking out of his depth as a ball-playing centre-back and make Struijk's absence feel less obvious.
Only conceding 25 goals at the time of writing in the league, Mepham's arrival could see Leeds tighten up their back four even more and steer the Whites to more decisive wins in the fierce promotion battle near the top of the division.