Leeds United fans know all too well the pain of losing a loan player.
Ben White, even during his first few outings under Marcelo Bielsa during that spell on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, already looked like a footballer destined for a far higher level than England’s second tier.
Four years after Leeds United secured the Championship title, White a bonafide revelation along the way, the centre-half turned right-back is fighting for the Premier League these days via a £50 million move to Arsenal.
Fortunately, the Ben White case is something of a rarity at Elland Road. After impressive loan spells of their own, Leeds succeeded in securing Illan Meslier, Joe Rodon and Jack Harrison on full-time deals.
But for Leyton Orient, with Sonny Perkins spending the 2024/25 season in England’s third tier, O’s boss Richie Wellens accepts that a short-term agreement is likely to be the best they can hope so.
Leyton Orient switch unlikely for Leeds United’s Sonny Perkins
“I doubt it,” Wellens told reporters when asked about Leyton Orient’s chances of signing Perkins permanently.
“In those two cases [Perkins and Jamie Donley], the parent clubs, Leeds and Tottenham, have trusted us with the first stages of their development in terms of professional games.
“So, we treat that as a responsibility. We develop them. We 100 per cent want to keep them for the rest of the season and let’s see where next season goes.
“But I think Tottenham see Donley’s future in their first team eventually.”
Whether Leeds view Perkins in the same vein remains to be seen.
The former England Under 19 international has featured in only one league match for the Yorkshire outfit since arriving from West Ham back in 2022. And in stark contrast to the aforementioned Ben White – a Premier League footballer honing his considerable talents in the division below – it’s fair to say Perkins has not exactly taken League One football by storm.
He managed only three goalless appearances during Oxford’s promotion campaign last term. At Leyton Orient, meanwhile, Perkins’ tally stands at just four in 24.
Yet, the fact that the 20-year-old remains such a key part of Wellens’ plans is in part due to the selfless work he does off the ball, his relentless enthusiasm, and his ability to stretch opposition backlines with his movement into the channels.
“I thought he was bright. I thought he mixed it up,” Wellens said after Perkins scored one and assisted another during an FA Cup first round victory over non-league Boreham Wood. “He went wide, he came in pockets.
“I’m really pleased for Sonny. He’s kept chipping away and it was an opportunity for him today and he took it.”
Former West Ham United starlet due to leave Elland Road next summer
Wellens accepts that Perkins is a player with much to develop, however, as emphasised by his rather underwhelming goals return.
The London-born frontman is due to become a free-agent in the summer of 2025. As such, one suspects that Perkins will need to make a bright start to the second half of the current campaign if he is to avoid an early exit from Elland Road.
Even if Perkins does depart, though, his reported £2,600-a-week wages could still prove to be beyond Leyton Orient’s reach.
“We’ve obviously watched Sonny a lot,” Wellens said over the summer. “[He] played centre-forward for West Ham. Really good in and around the six-yard box, the penalty spot.
“He’s got loads of things we can work on, loads of things we can improve.”
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