Yorkshire Evening Post 29/6/11
Whites linked with Real Madrid goalkeeper
By Phil Hay
Leeds United have added former Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek to their list of viable options to replace departed first-choice Kasper Schmeichel.
Dudek is the latest player to catch the interest of Simon Grayson as United’s manager considers how best to follow up the controversial sale of Schmeichel to Leicester City.
Schmeichel’s move to the Walkers Stadium – a deal which Grayson said was negotiated at his instigation – left the goalkeeping jersey at Elland Road vacant, and Dudek is among the group of alternatives being seriously considered by Leeds.
The Pole is a fringe member of the squad at Real Madrid but plans to leave the Bernabeu this summer with no prospect of regular first-team appearances for the Spanish club.
Dudek has entered the twilight of his career and turned 38 in March but he is thought to have received contact from Aston Villa since the end of last season. Grayson has also identified him as a player worth considering after the swift exit of Schmeichel from Leeds.
United signed one keeper last week, bringing Paul Rachubka to Elland Road from Blackpool, but Grayson is working to recruit another with Leeds’ first pre-season friendly due to take place two weeks today.
Dudek is best remember in England for his six-year spell with Liverpool, a period which peaked with his match-winning performance in the 2005 Champions League final.
Madrid took him to Spain two years later but Dudek was never likely to be anything more than cover behind the immovable Iker Casillas.
He appeared in only one La Liga fixture last season and recently admitted that he was looking for a fresh start, though his preferred option is a switch to another Spanish club.
Dudek said: “My priority is to not change the country but I have an offer from Spain, Turkey and England. What is clear is that wherever I go, I have to play.
“Although I have been happy at Real Madrid and I consider it my home, it’s now time to play again.”
United have been linked with a raft of keepers since agreeing to the sale of Schmeichel. The club are long-term admirers of Huddersfield Town’s Alex Smithies but Town made it clear that they would resist any effort to take the 21-year-old from the Galpharm Stadium during the close season.
Lee Grant and Fraser Forster are other possibilities, while United were credited with an interest in Iain Turner and Tomasz Kuszczak, the former Manchester United player, over the weekend.
Whites linked with Real Madrid goalkeeper
By Phil Hay
Leeds United have added former Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek to their list of viable options to replace departed first-choice Kasper Schmeichel.
Dudek is the latest player to catch the interest of Simon Grayson as United’s manager considers how best to follow up the controversial sale of Schmeichel to Leicester City.
Schmeichel’s move to the Walkers Stadium – a deal which Grayson said was negotiated at his instigation – left the goalkeeping jersey at Elland Road vacant, and Dudek is among the group of alternatives being seriously considered by Leeds.
The Pole is a fringe member of the squad at Real Madrid but plans to leave the Bernabeu this summer with no prospect of regular first-team appearances for the Spanish club.
Dudek has entered the twilight of his career and turned 38 in March but he is thought to have received contact from Aston Villa since the end of last season. Grayson has also identified him as a player worth considering after the swift exit of Schmeichel from Leeds.
United signed one keeper last week, bringing Paul Rachubka to Elland Road from Blackpool, but Grayson is working to recruit another with Leeds’ first pre-season friendly due to take place two weeks today.
Dudek is best remember in England for his six-year spell with Liverpool, a period which peaked with his match-winning performance in the 2005 Champions League final.
Madrid took him to Spain two years later but Dudek was never likely to be anything more than cover behind the immovable Iker Casillas.
He appeared in only one La Liga fixture last season and recently admitted that he was looking for a fresh start, though his preferred option is a switch to another Spanish club.
Dudek said: “My priority is to not change the country but I have an offer from Spain, Turkey and England. What is clear is that wherever I go, I have to play.
“Although I have been happy at Real Madrid and I consider it my home, it’s now time to play again.”
United have been linked with a raft of keepers since agreeing to the sale of Schmeichel. The club are long-term admirers of Huddersfield Town’s Alex Smithies but Town made it clear that they would resist any effort to take the 21-year-old from the Galpharm Stadium during the close season.
Lee Grant and Fraser Forster are other possibilities, while United were credited with an interest in Iain Turner and Tomasz Kuszczak, the former Manchester United player, over the weekend.