Leeds United completed the signing of Everton centre-back Matthew Pennington on a season-long loan deal on Wednesday.

The Whites have been looking to strengthen at the heart of the defence after Kyle Bartley’s return to Swansea City following a successful season-long loan spell, with Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper the only centre-backs that have travelled on their pre-season trip to Austria.

However, the former is banned for the opening two games of the upcoming Championship campaign which meant the swoop for Pennington was much needed.

The 22-year-old, who can also play at right-back, has made nine appearances in all competitions for the Toffees, and scored in the Merseyside derby at Anfield last season.

He may not be the last centre-half arrival at Elland Road this summer though and Thomas Christiansen will almost certainly be looking at other potential additions to add more depth to his squad.

Here are three more centre-backs Leeds should target after Pennington…

Tommy Elphick

The former Bournemouth captain would have expected to play a big part for Aston Villa in the Championship last season having joined from the Cherries in the summer.

However, the manager that brought him to Villa Park – Roberto Di Matteo – was sacked in October and when Steve Bruce took over, Elphick often found himself on the substitutes’ bench with James Chester and Nathan Baker preferred ahead of him.

The addition of John Terry has pushed the 29-year-old even further down the pecking order and he may well leave in the coming weeks.

A leader and with experience of winning promotion to the Premier League, he could be a smart addition to the Leeds backline.

Aden Flint

If Leeds are looking to bring in a commanding and talented centre-back to play alongside Pontus Jansson, they could be attempted to launch a big bid for Bristol City’s Flint.

The 6’5” defender has been an impressive figure in the Robins backline over the course of the last four seasons and as well as his abilities from a defensive point of view, he is also a huge threat at the other end of the pitch and has scored a remarkable 26 goals in all competitions during the previous three campaigns.

Holger Badstuber

While it may seem unlikely considering he has just been released by Bayern Munich, Badstuber is yet to find a new club and Leeds could be tempted to make an audacious swoop to try and sign the 28-year-old.

The centre-back has struggled with injuries over the course of the last few years and struggled to break into the Bundesliga giants’ team as a result, and he made 12 appearances in all competitions during a loan spell with Schalke during the second-half of the previous campaign.

With 31 Germany caps to his name there is no doubt that he would be a massive signing for the Yorkshire outfit, and he would be able to make the step up to the Premier League if Thomas Christiansen’s men find themselves in the Premier League in a year’s time.

Do you agree, Leeds fans? Let us know below.