In what looks to be a great start to the summer transfer window, we‘ve followed up the signing of forward Lukas Nmecha (albeit on a free transfer from Wolfsburg) with the £15 million signing of left-sided centre-back Jaka Bijol from Udinese.
I’ve got to admit when rumours first surfaced about us tracking him, I was excited, though unsure as to whether we could pull off such a coup – especially for this price and with Newcastle United understood to have been interested in him.
For me, this is superb business – particularly for the fee and at 26, is at the right age to come in and make an instant impact after impressing in Serie A against some top attackers.
Leeds have confirmed the signing of defender Jaka Bijol from Udinese ✍️🟡 pic.twitter.com/7xyc4Kbsy8
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 23, 2025
I also love that he is a regular at international level, with 63 caps for a decent, hard-to-beat Slovenia side. To me, this has shades of the Nikola Milenkovic move to Nottingham Forest about it – they’re similar types of players, possessing the usual Balkan traits and I think Bijol can give us a lot at the back.
Milenkovic of course, was a standout player for Forest last season, establishing himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League – I’ve no doubt that Bijol can have the same kind of impact.
Having a strong defence will be key for us if we are to survive in the Premier League next season and I strongly believe that Bijol will be a key component. For me, he’s even better than the two we signed on our return last time (Robin Koch and Diego Llorente) – who on paper looked great, but were caught out on numerous occasions.
Bijol Has The Pedigree To Succeed
I’m encouraged by the fact that Bijol has experience defending against some of the best attackers in the world – the likes’ of Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez, Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus, Rafael Leao at AC Milan and others, so he could be key for us.
While Bijol is basically an all-round centre-back – great with the ball at his feet and blessed with intelligence, for the first time in a long time, he also gives us something we haven’t had – elite level aerial ability. Defending set-pieces in the Premier League last time was an achilles heel for us and I think he could be a big asset for us here.
Also, he can be a threat at the other end of the pitch, having demonstrated great ability in front of goal during his time at Udinese.
I like his attitude as well. After he was unveiled, he revealed: “I work for it and that’s why I’m here, because it’s a big challenge for everyone. It’s a big challenge for me, for the club, and we’re getting ready for it together.
“I think the club and myself are ready for the Premier League.
“I can promise that I will give everything, that I will give everything in every training as well to be ready for the first game of the season and then just go from there.”
More Signings To Follow?
Bijol may not be our only arrival at the back. It appears that we’re also interested in an ambitious move for Brazilian centre-back Natan de Souza, who would be another major acquisition and one I am confident would give us the solid foundation we need.
Without a doubt, we will bring others through the door during the summer and I understand we’re looking at a number of players in different positions.
For now though, I’m definitely positive about the progress that we have made and I’m confident about similar calibre players to Bijol coming in.
