McDermott hands list of potential targets to Elland Road board
YEP 6/5/13
By Phil Hay
Brian McDermott wants as many as seven new signings in place before the start of next season after Leeds United ended a hard campaign with a morale-lifting win at Watford.
United signed off the 2012-13 term by recording their first away victory in more than five months, wrecking Watford’s bid for automatic promotion in the process.
A last-minute goal from Ross McCormack settled a pulsating match at Vicarage Road and a satisfied McDermott praised United’s “integrity” on a day when his players found themselves at the centre of a chaotic promotion fight.
But the Leeds boss spoke of major changes to come after revealing that he had asked the United chief executive Shaun Harvey and technical director Gwyn Williams to make approaches to “six or seven” summer targets. McDermott released a total of 10 players on Friday but is yet to transfer-list any of the senior professionals who are contracted to Leeds for next season and beyond.
But the 52-year-old said: “We’ll see what happens and we’ll see who we manage to bring in. I’ve given Gwyn and Shaun a list of six or seven players who I’d like to talk to. Giving a list and getting players over the line isn’t the same and it’s not easy to get players over the line. My experience of football is that sometimes it takes longer than you’d like.
“But it would be nice to do business early. Recruitment is going to be really important for us.”
McDermott replaced Neil Warnock as manager three weeks ago but he refused to talk up Leeds’ chances in the 12 months ahead, saying: “We’ll find out how good we are at the end of next season.”
By Phil Hay
Brian McDermott wants as many as seven new signings in place before the start of next season after Leeds United ended a hard campaign with a morale-lifting win at Watford.
United signed off the 2012-13 term by recording their first away victory in more than five months, wrecking Watford’s bid for automatic promotion in the process.
A last-minute goal from Ross McCormack settled a pulsating match at Vicarage Road and a satisfied McDermott praised United’s “integrity” on a day when his players found themselves at the centre of a chaotic promotion fight.
But the Leeds boss spoke of major changes to come after revealing that he had asked the United chief executive Shaun Harvey and technical director Gwyn Williams to make approaches to “six or seven” summer targets. McDermott released a total of 10 players on Friday but is yet to transfer-list any of the senior professionals who are contracted to Leeds for next season and beyond.
But the 52-year-old said: “We’ll see what happens and we’ll see who we manage to bring in. I’ve given Gwyn and Shaun a list of six or seven players who I’d like to talk to. Giving a list and getting players over the line isn’t the same and it’s not easy to get players over the line. My experience of football is that sometimes it takes longer than you’d like.
“But it would be nice to do business early. Recruitment is going to be really important for us.”
McDermott replaced Neil Warnock as manager three weeks ago but he refused to talk up Leeds’ chances in the 12 months ahead, saying: “We’ll find out how good we are at the end of next season.”
