Leeds United: Glover has sown the seeds to bear fruit
Yorkshire Evening Post 29/6/15
HEAD of recruitment Martyn Glover says Leeds United are concentrating their efforts on bringing in a British core of players as they plot their Championship path in 2015-16.
United – whose players officially start pre-season training at Thorp Arch today – have already brought in three players, with last week’s arrival of defender Sol Bamba following on from the additions of young striker Lee Erwin and rookie goalkeeper Charlie Horton.
Leeds have been linked with a host of other players, including Leicester duo Chris Wood and Liam Moore and Birmingham City forward Clayton Donaldson with Glover working in tandem with head coach Uwe Rosler and owner Massimo Cellino to augment the club’s squad numbers.
A plethora of signings arrived from the continent in the 2014 close season with former sporting director Nicola Salerno proving an influential figure in bringing many players to Leeds, particularly from Italy.
But Glover, who previously served as recruitment head at West Ham under Sam Allardyce, says that the emphasis 12 months on is on bringing in recruits from this country and raiding the domestic market.
He said: “I think the idea is to get that British core right.
“We have got some very good, talented players at Leeds, some of the best you are likely to have.
“It is important that we get the balance right in the dressing room and get the right type of characters to ultimately get this team out of the Championship and into the Premier League where it belongs.
“That is the plan. Carrying it out will be interesting, but that’s the aim – to have a British core. Although we won’t rule out foreign players.
“I had a great relationship with Sam and it will be nice to develop a similar relationship with Uwe (Rosler) now.
“I think the idea is that we will work on things together in terms of potential targets. Obviously, Uwe will have his say as it is his team and he is the one who will pick the side at the end of the day.
“My role will be to come up with targets and potential players and manage that side of it and present the case to the manager as to what we think we can do and then it is a case of trying to make the finances fit.
“It is very much a team effort.”
Glover studied at Leeds Metropolitan University, where he completed a physical education degree before entering into teaching.
After working at Blackburn Rovers’ academy, Glover became a full-time member of the staff at Ewood Park and the club’s chief scout under Allardyce and later accompanied him to West Ham.
Glover is confident that the groundwork being put in will bear fruit in the coming weeks.
He added: “It is an unusual time for me as half the managers in the country have been on holiday and people aren’t where they need to be. But it’s good to get started.
“You do a lot of work now and I am full at it and there’s a lot of work going on. But it’s hard to get things over the line now because other clubs don’t work the same and a lot of managers have been on holiday and want to get players back in at pre-season to see where they are up to before they start making any decisions and buying and selling players.
“It is important that you are all on the same page in what you are trying to achieve and you know your restraints in terms of budgets and then you can work accordingly.
“It is important we work together and get the right type of players in for the right finance.”
HEAD of recruitment Martyn Glover says Leeds United are concentrating their efforts on bringing in a British core of players as they plot their Championship path in 2015-16.
United – whose players officially start pre-season training at Thorp Arch today – have already brought in three players, with last week’s arrival of defender Sol Bamba following on from the additions of young striker Lee Erwin and rookie goalkeeper Charlie Horton.
Leeds have been linked with a host of other players, including Leicester duo Chris Wood and Liam Moore and Birmingham City forward Clayton Donaldson with Glover working in tandem with head coach Uwe Rosler and owner Massimo Cellino to augment the club’s squad numbers.
A plethora of signings arrived from the continent in the 2014 close season with former sporting director Nicola Salerno proving an influential figure in bringing many players to Leeds, particularly from Italy.
But Glover, who previously served as recruitment head at West Ham under Sam Allardyce, says that the emphasis 12 months on is on bringing in recruits from this country and raiding the domestic market.
He said: “I think the idea is to get that British core right.
“We have got some very good, talented players at Leeds, some of the best you are likely to have.
“It is important that we get the balance right in the dressing room and get the right type of characters to ultimately get this team out of the Championship and into the Premier League where it belongs.
“That is the plan. Carrying it out will be interesting, but that’s the aim – to have a British core. Although we won’t rule out foreign players.
“I had a great relationship with Sam and it will be nice to develop a similar relationship with Uwe (Rosler) now.
“I think the idea is that we will work on things together in terms of potential targets. Obviously, Uwe will have his say as it is his team and he is the one who will pick the side at the end of the day.
“My role will be to come up with targets and potential players and manage that side of it and present the case to the manager as to what we think we can do and then it is a case of trying to make the finances fit.
“It is very much a team effort.”
Glover studied at Leeds Metropolitan University, where he completed a physical education degree before entering into teaching.
After working at Blackburn Rovers’ academy, Glover became a full-time member of the staff at Ewood Park and the club’s chief scout under Allardyce and later accompanied him to West Ham.
Glover is confident that the groundwork being put in will bear fruit in the coming weeks.
He added: “It is an unusual time for me as half the managers in the country have been on holiday and people aren’t where they need to be. But it’s good to get started.
“You do a lot of work now and I am full at it and there’s a lot of work going on. But it’s hard to get things over the line now because other clubs don’t work the same and a lot of managers have been on holiday and want to get players back in at pre-season to see where they are up to before they start making any decisions and buying and selling players.
“It is important that you are all on the same page in what you are trying to achieve and you know your restraints in terms of budgets and then you can work accordingly.
“It is important we work together and get the right type of players in for the right finance.”
