Lees provides 'added value' for Peterborough
Tom Lees began his career at Leeds United where he played more than 130 games
- Published
Peterborough United boss Luke Williams has praised defender Tom Lees for his role in their rise from the bottom of the table to play-off contenders.
The 35-year-old was signed as a free agent in the summer following an Achilles injury suffered by centre-back Sam Hughes.
He has played 24 games in all competitions and helped Posh to climb to ninth in League One, just four points outside the top six.
"However I can try to advise players and help them as the manager, they will learn far more from Tom Lees than they can ever learn from me," Williams told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
"He's somebody who is very generous with his time - sometimes there is a self-preservation around players, they are competing for places in the team, but Tom doesn't have that personality at all.
"He backs himself and therefore because he's comfortable with himself he's able to help the people around him and gives added value to the entire squad."
Luke Williams: 'Our squad is full of personality'
Peterborough are away to Stevenage, the side immediately above them in the table, on Tuesday and could jump two places if they win and seventh-placed Luton do no more than draw in their game at Lees' former club Huddersfield Town.
Midfielder Archie Collins has indicated he wishes to look for a new challenge when his contract expires in the summer, but Williams said he feels under no urgent pressure to add to the squad in the remainder of the transfer window as owner Darragh MacAnthony is fully apprised of potential recruits.
"There are head coaches and managers that work at clubs where they feel people don't have the absolute best intentions for the club and there's maybe different agendas, maybe the ownership is not always present," said Williams.
"In that situation, you feel like you have to take the reins and you have to push very hard to make sure everybody is focused, but I don't have to worry about that because the owner of this club is as determined to win every single match as I am.
"If he feels we need to act, we will act immediately because things are in place to do so.
"But we are also looking at not destabilising players that are performing well, not blocking the pathway of players we are very excited about - we have players approaching fitness that will feel like new signings and in some ways are better than new signings because they are players we know."
