Leeds United in transfer stalemate - McDermott
YEP 22/7/13
by Phil Hay
A concerned Brian McDermott revealed that he was operating a ‘one out, one in’ transfer policy at Elland Road after Leeds United suffered their third successive pre-season loss.
The United manager outlined the financial constraints affecting him as he reflected on a sobering 1-0 defeat to Walsall on Saturday.
Weaknesses and limitations in Leeds’ squad were highlighted by a lacklustre performance against a League One side who earned their win through Craig Westcarr’s 12th-minute volley.
McDermott described the afternoon as “the worst I’ve had as manager here” but he was unable to offer hope of quick additions to his squad after admitting that he was under pressure to remove players from United’s wage bill.
The club’s owner, GFH Capital, has delivered three signings so far this summer but a drawn-out and as yet unsuccessful attempt to secure a fourth player during the past fortnight has raised questions about the funds on offer to McDermott with the Championship season less than two weeks away.
He and United’s managing director, David Haigh, met for talks on Friday after McDermott returned from a tour of Slovenia with no new arrivals in sight.
McDermott said: “Am I making any progress? We’ll see what this week brings. I’m saying the same things and saying nothing really. There’s one player I’ve been trying to get for a number of weeks and that hasn’t changed.”
Asked why his fourth target was proving so difficult to capture, McDermott said: “From our point of view I’d suggest we’re in a situation where we probably need a player to go out the door before we can bring one in the door. That’s where we’re at.”
But McDermott, who helped to fund the recent arrival of Noel Hunt by allowing Steve Morison to join Millwall on loan in June, admitted that interest in his own players was scarce, saying: “We’ve had nothing concrete yet. We’ll have to see what happens.”
Leeds were troubled throughout Saturday’s match by a lively Walsall team who rode their luck on occasions but created regular chances. McDermott said: “Walsall were good, very good, but we didn’t get going from the off.”
Leeds travel to Stevenage tomorrow night for their penultimate pre-season friendly.
by Phil Hay
A concerned Brian McDermott revealed that he was operating a ‘one out, one in’ transfer policy at Elland Road after Leeds United suffered their third successive pre-season loss.
The United manager outlined the financial constraints affecting him as he reflected on a sobering 1-0 defeat to Walsall on Saturday.
Weaknesses and limitations in Leeds’ squad were highlighted by a lacklustre performance against a League One side who earned their win through Craig Westcarr’s 12th-minute volley.
McDermott described the afternoon as “the worst I’ve had as manager here” but he was unable to offer hope of quick additions to his squad after admitting that he was under pressure to remove players from United’s wage bill.
The club’s owner, GFH Capital, has delivered three signings so far this summer but a drawn-out and as yet unsuccessful attempt to secure a fourth player during the past fortnight has raised questions about the funds on offer to McDermott with the Championship season less than two weeks away.
He and United’s managing director, David Haigh, met for talks on Friday after McDermott returned from a tour of Slovenia with no new arrivals in sight.
McDermott said: “Am I making any progress? We’ll see what this week brings. I’m saying the same things and saying nothing really. There’s one player I’ve been trying to get for a number of weeks and that hasn’t changed.”
Asked why his fourth target was proving so difficult to capture, McDermott said: “From our point of view I’d suggest we’re in a situation where we probably need a player to go out the door before we can bring one in the door. That’s where we’re at.”
But McDermott, who helped to fund the recent arrival of Noel Hunt by allowing Steve Morison to join Millwall on loan in June, admitted that interest in his own players was scarce, saying: “We’ve had nothing concrete yet. We’ll have to see what happens.”
Leeds were troubled throughout Saturday’s match by a lively Walsall team who rode their luck on occasions but created regular chances. McDermott said: “Walsall were good, very good, but we didn’t get going from the off.”
Leeds travel to Stevenage tomorrow night for their penultimate pre-season friendly.
