Leeds United announced the signing of Real Madrid goalkeeper, Kiko Casilla on Thursday morning, and the majority of Leeds fans will be delighted by his arrival. 

Casilla arrives at Elland Road with a wealth of experience of playing at a high level, and he'll be hoping to play his part in Leeds' promotion push this season.

It came as a real shock to supporters when Phil Hay first broke the news of his potential arrival after Leeds' 2-0 win over Derby in the Championship last weekend.

His arrival just shows the type of high-profile names that Leeds can attract to the club after showing such positive signs in the first-half of the season.

Marcelo Bielsa was full of praise for Casilla upon his arrival, in a pre-match press conference ahead of their game against Stoke City this weekend.

"He is a complete player. The fact that the goalkeeper from Real Madrid comes to Leeds, I think the owner of the club should be proud to attract this type of player."

It was revealed that Casilla isn't expected to make his debut for the league-leaders this weekend, and Bielsa will monitor his progress in the next coming days.

"Today has been his first training session with us. He won't play against Stoke, even if he is fit to play. We'll see the evolution in the next few days."

It's sure to be a potentially tricky fixture for Leeds against a Stoke side that will be looking to break out of a poor run of form this season which has seen them nowhere near the top six finish that was expected of them.

The Verdict: 

This is an excellent addition for Leeds.

Casilla could arguably be playing in the Premier League, and it's a real coup to strike a deal for the former Real Madrid goalkeeper this month.

He could be the missing piece in the jigsaw for Leeds' promotion bid this season, as they target a long-awaited return to the Premier League.