Northern Ireland’s veteran goalkeeper Maik Taylor signed for Leeds United today, providing Simon Grayson with much needed cover following the injury Andy Lonergan sustained last month and the subsequent meltdown of his understudy, Paul Rachubka.

In total, there are now five goalkeepers at Elland Road including young Alex Cairns and on loan Alex McCarthy who is likely to start in goal for the visit of Barnsley this Saturday after an impressive performance in the 2-1 win over Burnley at the weekend.

At 40 years young, Taylor’s age may be of some concern to fans, but his wealth of experience could be just what The Whites need. The Irish international is no stranger to a promotion fight and was a key figure in the Fulham side that went from League One to the Premier League in three seasons (1998-2001).

Taylor went on to play for Birmingham City in the Premiership where he was voted the EPL Fans’ Goalkeeper of the Year 2003-04.

Even if Taylor never starts a game for Leeds United, his presence at the club is worth the transfer alone. Andy Lonergan and Alex Cairns could learn a lot from such an experienced professional, but so too could the rest of the team – when you’re aiming for promotion, having players around that have been there and know how to handle the pressure can be a huge bonus.

From a fans perspective, looking down at the bench and seeing Maik Taylor in the seat Paul Rachubka once kept warm will be a comforting sight.

Sky Sports are today claiming Leeds have made an enquiry regarding Coventry City captain, Sammy Clingan.

The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich City defensive midfielder has made 58 appearances for Coventry since joining them in 2009, scoring 5 times. He has also been capped 25 times at international level for Northern Ireland.

It seems Coventry are in a similar position to that of Leeds with Max Gradel. The midfielder has just one year left on his contract leaving some Sky Blues fans to fear the board may bypass the manager completely and take the cash while it’s on the table.

Can Leeds Finnish the deal? 

The rumour linking Alexei Eremenko to Leeds that we reported earlier this week has now been picked up by Sky Sports who are also claiming he could try-out for the Whites against Motherwell this weekend.

Securing the signature of the Finnish international might not be so straightforward however with reports emerging that Cardiff City are also monitoring the attacking midfielder.

Prodigal Son homecoming in doubt

The Yorkshire Evening Post is quoting a source close to Alan Smith who claims the Whites are no closer to securing a deal with their former player than they were at the beginning of the transfer window.

The stumbling block appears to be nothing more than greed with Alan Smith refusing to take a cut in wages. Whilst Newcastle United have offered to pay half his wages for the remainder of his contract, Leeds United are understandably refusing to pay the other £30,000 per week to secure his services.

A poll of more than 1,000 fans on The Scratching Shed revealed that 84% would welcome the return of the Rothwell-born midfielder.