Mighty Leeds Weblog

CHELSEA have already agreed a deal with Leeds for Raphinha but Barcelona are not giving up on the Brazilian just yet... By RYAN TAYLOR Barcelona are looking to hijack Chelsea's deal to sign Leeds winger Raphinha after holding face-to-face talks with his agent Deco on Wednesday. The Blues have struck a £60million agreement with Elland Road chiefs for the Brazilian, who has been given the green light to discuss personal terms with new owner Todd Boehly and Thomas Tuchel. But it appears a move to Stamford Bridge is still no foregone conclusion as one of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer takes another unexpected twist. Raphinha is understood to favour joining Barcelona after already agreeing personal terms with the Catalan giants and they hastily called in his representative Deco for face-to-face talks to discuss the prospect of hijacking Chelsea's move. Barca remain hampered by financial difficulties off the field but still, they seem set on finding the cash to fu

Sky Sports News senior reporter Tim Thornton examines the challenges Jesse Marsch faces with his two best players set to leave the club this summer By Tim Thornton Sky Sports News senior reporter Tim Thornton examines what's next for Leeds with stars Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips set to leave the club this summer... Leeds have been fully aware these moves could happen for a while. They even knew last summer that Marcelo Bielsa could leave the club. In January, they managed to fight off interest and keep Phillips and Raphinha and they've been planning ever since. They've already made three signings this summer in Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Marc Roca. Those players would have signed regardless, but there's money in the kitty now. We expect Leeds to move quickly and bring new players to the club: another midfielder, a winger and a striker to play alongside Patrick Bamford as Jesse Marsch likes to play two up front. Leeds paid £16m for Raphinha and w

By Phil Hay Leeds United youngster Liam McCarron has joined Stoke City on a permanent deal. The left-back made one senior appearance for Leeds. He appeared as a substitute during the 4-1 home defeat to Arsenal last season. McCarron came through the academy at Carlisle, making his first-team debut for the club in the 2018-19 season. However, he turned down a new contract with Carlisle in the summer of 2019 before joining Leeds on a three-year deal. The Preston-born defender signed a new contract with Leeds in September 2021, extending until the summer of 2023. However, Leeds have now allowed him to move permanently to Championship Stoke. Leeds have let a number of their younger players leave this summer, including Ryan Edmondson, who has joined Carlisle, Josh Galloway, Bobby Kamwa and Nohan Kenneh. They are also expected to lose Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, with the pair of interest to Manchester City and Chelsea respectively. Leeds have been active with incomings, signin

By Sebastian Stafford-Bloor and more Every transfer window, we create a video series for the Tifo Football YouTube channel called Sensible Transfers. In that series, we analyse the problem areas within teams and suggest solutions in the form of potential incoming players. It’s a fantasy, but a fun one. Today, it is Leeds United’s turn… Leeds have done a lot already in this transfer window, but also have much left to do. Director of football Victor Orta has spent more than £50 million combined on right-back Rasmus Kristensen, attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson and Marc Roca, who will likely play at the base of Jesse Marsch’s midfield after arriving from Bayern Munich. Some of those moves feel part pre-emptive, because the biggest disruption is yet to come, and the likely departures of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha will need to be addressed. Roca’s arrival changes the dynamic in the double pivot. He’s a ball-player — and a good one — but he probably needs a more defensive

By Phil Hay A summer like this at Leeds United has been coming. It was never the done thing to speak too preemptively or explicitly about what is now occurring at Elland Road, but at various points since promotion two years ago the club have touched on the PR battle awaiting them: the sale of the family silver. They have spoken quite openly about the Leicester City model and any amount of digging into that finds large transfer fees at the heart of it. Sell and reinvest, sell and reinvest, which, as it happens, could be precisely the story of this summer at Leeds. One big asset is going and another is likely to follow. You might call it the Leicester model on steroids, because Leicester’s policy was traditionally to limit major outgoings to one in each window — a selling strategy with clear limits. Whether Leeds intended to lose Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha in the same close season is doubtful, and Raphinha’s position is more opaque than Phillips’, but the fact that the club have

KEN BATES STILL DOESN'T HAVE ONE Written by: Steven York Leeds United’s revival is a story about a club rediscovering its soul. It wasn’t long ago that we had a fractious relationship with the organisational entity. We may have loved some of the players and admired some of the managers, but I’m struggling to think of many times in the post-relegation, pre-Bielsa era when the relationship between fan and club was particularly strong. We’ve had Ken Bates calling fans morons. We’ve (allegedly) had Massimo Cellino throwing money at ‘influencers’ on social media to push his narrative in an attempt to control how he was perceived. We’ve had multiple campaigns to rid ourselves of owners we hated (Pen4Ken, TTGM etc). Hell, trawl through the years of #toma hashtags on Twitter and you can time-travel through a history of desperate misery. There were genuine arguments about becoming Red Bull Leeds not long ago, if it bought our escape from the doldrums we were rotting in. Leeds is a f

Premier League rivals Chelsea have become front-runners for Leeds winger Raphinha’s signature By Joe Donnohue Raphinha is on the verge of an Elland Road exit this week as reports state Leeds United have received a bid in excess of £55 million from Chelsea for the Brazil winger. The Athletic claim Stamford Bridge now appears a likely destination for the 25-year-old after Arsenal saw an offer rejected last week, while Barcelona’s interest is yet to materialise in a formal bid. Leeds value the player at over £50 million, meaning Chelsea’s purported offer comes in above the threshold outlined by the United hierarchy. A fee is close to being agreed, although the transfer saga is far from complete. Chelsea have leapfrogged Arsenal and Barcelona in the race for Raphinha’s signature, but remain interested in Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and Ousmane Dembele, who expects to leave Camp Nou on a free transfer in the coming days. Both players bear stylistic and positional similarit

Chelsea gatecrash Arsenal's bid to sign Raphinha and agree £60m deal for Leeds winger, with player's agent and ex-Blues star Deco at the heart of talks as they usurp London rivals at the 11th hour Chelsea have made an offer of £60million for Leeds United winger Raphinha Arsenal held talks with Leeds after their initial offer for Raphinha was rejected The 25-year-old now seems set to move to Stamford Bridge this summer Chelsea also want to sign winger Raheem Sterling from Manchester City By SIMON JONES and SAMI MOKBEL Chelsea on Tuesday gatecrashed Arsenal's bid to sign Raphinha from Leeds United with a £60million offer. Talks are advancing after Leeds accepted a bid of £55m plus add-ons with former Chelsea midfielder Deco, Raphinha's agent, at the heart of negotiations. On a frantic day, Arsenal held talks with Leeds after their initial offer of £30m plus add-ons was rejected last week and put forward a new proposal but they did not come close to Chelsea

Leeds United welcomed back the bulk of their squad ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign this week By Joe Donnohue The day upon which players return to the training ground following their summer breaks is always a milestone in any football season’s calendar. Some return sun-kissed, others sporting new hairstyles, but on the whole the mood tends to be a jovial one, focused on a fresh start. This year’s pre-season calendar already looks very different; it will be the first time in four years that Marcelo Bielsa and his crew of coaches have not welcomed the players back to Thorp Arch. Head coach Jesse Marsch greeted his squad at Leeds Beckett University before they underwent a variety of fitness tests on Monday morning. New addition Marc Roca was present, even if Leeds’ two other summer signings Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen were absent, given an additional week’s rest due to their involvement on international duty throughout June. Leeds released a gallery of

The longer Jesse Marsch’s 12-game stint as Leeds United coach went on last season, the more the Whites started to look like a Marcelo Bielsa team – at least in terms of shape. By Stuart Rayner But given what the American inherited, 2021-22 was just about doing the necessary to stay in the Premier League. Having narrowly achieved that, the season to come will be more about doing it his way. And whilst many Leeds fans might prefer to replicate Bielsaball, at least Marsch looks like being given the tools he needs. Kalvin Phillips’s imminent departure to Manchester City, followed by Raphinha’s sale – which seems a lot more inevitable than his destination – will take away Bielsa’s two star performers. A broken leg will deprive them of stalwart Stuart Dallas, and Luke Ayling may not be back from surgery when the new campaign kicks off on August 6. Patrick Bamford seems certain to face greater competition, even beyond improving 20-year-olds Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood. The team i

By Phil Hay The book is short, fewer than 240 pages in all, and this version, a small paperback, is dog-eared and worn. Leeds United On Trial, David O’Leary’s published work, is long since out of print, available second-hand. Only the title hints at the dynamite inside. At face value, it looks like standard football literature and the original concept, or so it is said, was a diary of a football season, told by O’Leary, the manager in the middle of it. Leeds were a Champions League club, O’Leary was a rising star in Premier League coaching circles and the book, before the title was picked, was there to chronicle their 2000-01 campaign through his eyes. It was supposed to reveal trade secrets, because what else is autobiographical prose for? But Leeds United On Trial did not foresee the flashpoint it caused. The book was published in January 2002. Six months later — and 20 years ago today — O’Leary was sacked, a young coach regarded as exceptionally promising dispensed with by a

Leeds United's Under-21 side was relegated last term but several young players finished the season strongly ahead of this year's campaign By Joe Donnohue Leeds United's Under-21 setup is one brimming with talent, largely due to the club's recruitment over the past couple of seasons. Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville and Cody Drameh all arrived in the summer of 2020 before making their Premier League and Championship breakthroughs last season. While it is unrealistic to expect several young players capable of competing at Premier League level to blossom at the same time, the Whites' academy setup does have the potential to produce a steady stream of first-team-ready individuals. Looking ahead to the 2022/23 campaign, Leeds' Under-21 group will compete in Premier League 2 Division 2 - the second tier of Under-21 football in England. The Whites won this division in 2021, earning promotion but were subsequently relegated during their fir

Victor Orta's shortlist of defensive midfielders stands at three but no matter the names on the list, no one can be the new Kalvin Phillips at Leeds United. By Graham Smyth Mercifully, that won't be asked of whoever Orta brings in this summer, in the wake of Phillips' now certain departure for Manchester City. News of an agreement between the English champions and the Whites was long feared and heavily expected yet still landed like a bombshell, leaving a crater that quickly became filled with sadness and concern. Losing Raphinha will be difficult because he's such a good player and so much fun to watch. Saying goodbye to Phillips, however, is different and will lead to a grieving process for fans who have watched him grow up from a box-to-box Championship midfielder to a fully fledged Premier League defensive destroyer and England international. Phillips is one of their own. Watching him dump attackers on the Etihad turf in sky blue will be like losing a limb a

Leeds United director of football Victor Orta believes England's biggest clubs are intent on signing domestic targets this summer, as a trio eye Whites winger Raphinha. By Graham Smyth The Brazilian international was the subject of a bid from Arsenal last week, although it was not deemed worthy of consideration by Leeds, and the Gunners are expected to have a second go in the coming days. Chelsea are also among Raphinha's admirers, along with Spurs, although there is a strong sense that Barcelona remain the player's destination of choice despite their financial issues. The Catalan club are yet to make an official bid for Raphinha despite revealing their hand earlier than anyone else currently thought to be in the running. Club president Joan Laporta revealed in a March interview with RAC1 that they were keen on Leeds' star attacker. "We have two signings lined up, maybe a centre-back and a midfielder, yes," he said. "It could be a central defend

Leeds United are currently speaking to three potential replacements for Kalvin Phillips, including RB Leipzig's Tyler Adams. By Graham Smyth Manchester City are expected to complete their pursuit of Phillips when he returns from his holiday and the YEP understands Whites director of football Victor Orta is talking to a trio he believes could come in this summer. American international Adams is high up on Orta's list and has worked with Leeds head coach Jesse Marsch twice previously, at New York Red Bulls and RB Leipzig. Adams, 23, moved to the Bundesliga to reunite with Marsch in January 2019 and has racked up 102 appearances for Leipzig, 14 of which have come in the Champions League. The 19-cap midfielder, previously linked to Arsenal, has shown versatility with stints at right-back and on the right side of midfield, but the deep-lying position that Phillips made his own at Elland Road is where Adams has played the vast majority of his football. His fellow Red Bull

By Phil Hay and Adam Crafton Leeds United are pursuing Club Bruges forward Charles de Ketelaere, The Athletic understands. The club see the highly-rated 21-year-old as a secondary striker or false nine. Leeds are also thought to be targeting the arrival of a winger before the coming season. However, they face competition for De Ketelaere from newly-crowned Italian champions AC Milan, who can offer Champions League football. De Ketelaere has already made eight appearances for Belgium, making his debut against Switzerland in November 2020, and only narrowly missed out on Roberto Martinez’s squad for the European Championships last summer. He burst onto the scene in Belgium dramatically, making his debut against Real Madrid in the Champions League in 2019, and scoring a last-minute winner against Zenit Saint Petersburg the year after. Progress continued in 2021-22, with De Ketelaere the fulcrum of the Bruges attack against Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and RB Leipzig