McDermott now eyes loan market for Leeds
YEP 3/9/13
by Phil Hay
BRIAN McDermott will look to the emergency loan market to plug the gaps in Leeds United’s squad after last night’s transfer deadline passed without any flicker of activity at Elland Road.
United allowed the final day of the summer window to elapse quietly with no new winger added to the four signings completed by McDermott since the end of last season.
And the club’s attempts to move surplus players off their £15million wage bill also produced no positive results as Barnsley failed to agree a deal to take Aidan White to Oakwell on loan until January.
The versatile 21-year-old attracted an approach from the South Yorkshire Championship club last Thursday after losing his place in McDermott’s matchday squad.
But Barnsley, who were offering to pay around half of White’s weekly wage at Elland Road, gave up on the proposed transfer yesterday afternoon having failed to push it forward over the weekend.
McDermott has been working all summer to ease a £15million wage bill and was crossing his fingers that circumstances will allow him to make a further signing of his own before the English deadline falls at 11pm this evening.
The United boss has recruited four new players – Matt Smith, Luke Murphy, Noel Hunt and Scott Wootton – since the end of last season but he spoke to the board at Elland Road last week about pulling off one final deal before the window closes.
McDermott, who has made no secret of his desire for additional wingers at Elland Road, said: “I’d like to bring in one player if we could. It’s quite obvious that we could do with a bit of width.
“I don’t know if it’ll happen and I’m saying a lot and saying nothing again. I did that with our fourth transfer when we signed Scott Wootton but we got him in in the end. If we don’t add to the squad then we don’t. We’ll work with what we’ve got and I’ll be happy to do that if that’s how it is. We’ve still got the loan window as well.”
David Norris, Danny Pugh, Adam Drury and El-Hadji Diouf are other senior squad members who McDermott has been willing to listen to offers for, and asked if some of his players would part company with Leeds today McDermott said: “It’s possible that one or two might go out on loan.
“We’ve had a couple of enquiries.”
Leeds resolved one pressing issue ahead of Saturday’s clash with QPR by tying Ross McCormack, their Scotland international, to a new four-year contract.
“We’ve done Ross McCormack and that was really important,” McDermott said.
“Ross is happy with the deal and we’re happy too. It’s good news.”
Leeds’ defeat to QPR – their first loss of the season – was a disappointing end to an encouraging month in which the club have claimed eight points and reached the third round of the Capital One Cup.
A Clint Hill goal 15 minutes from time settled an even and unspectacular game at Elland Road, leaving Leeds to reflect on the result during a two-week international break.
But McDermott said: “I don’t get too high when we win or too low when we lose.
“You do what you have to and move on quickly.”
by Phil Hay
BRIAN McDermott will look to the emergency loan market to plug the gaps in Leeds United’s squad after last night’s transfer deadline passed without any flicker of activity at Elland Road.
United allowed the final day of the summer window to elapse quietly with no new winger added to the four signings completed by McDermott since the end of last season.
And the club’s attempts to move surplus players off their £15million wage bill also produced no positive results as Barnsley failed to agree a deal to take Aidan White to Oakwell on loan until January.
The versatile 21-year-old attracted an approach from the South Yorkshire Championship club last Thursday after losing his place in McDermott’s matchday squad.
But Barnsley, who were offering to pay around half of White’s weekly wage at Elland Road, gave up on the proposed transfer yesterday afternoon having failed to push it forward over the weekend.
McDermott has been working all summer to ease a £15million wage bill and was crossing his fingers that circumstances will allow him to make a further signing of his own before the English deadline falls at 11pm this evening.
The United boss has recruited four new players – Matt Smith, Luke Murphy, Noel Hunt and Scott Wootton – since the end of last season but he spoke to the board at Elland Road last week about pulling off one final deal before the window closes.
McDermott, who has made no secret of his desire for additional wingers at Elland Road, said: “I’d like to bring in one player if we could. It’s quite obvious that we could do with a bit of width.
“I don’t know if it’ll happen and I’m saying a lot and saying nothing again. I did that with our fourth transfer when we signed Scott Wootton but we got him in in the end. If we don’t add to the squad then we don’t. We’ll work with what we’ve got and I’ll be happy to do that if that’s how it is. We’ve still got the loan window as well.”
David Norris, Danny Pugh, Adam Drury and El-Hadji Diouf are other senior squad members who McDermott has been willing to listen to offers for, and asked if some of his players would part company with Leeds today McDermott said: “It’s possible that one or two might go out on loan.
“We’ve had a couple of enquiries.”
Leeds resolved one pressing issue ahead of Saturday’s clash with QPR by tying Ross McCormack, their Scotland international, to a new four-year contract.
“We’ve done Ross McCormack and that was really important,” McDermott said.
“Ross is happy with the deal and we’re happy too. It’s good news.”
Leeds’ defeat to QPR – their first loss of the season – was a disappointing end to an encouraging month in which the club have claimed eight points and reached the third round of the Capital One Cup.
A Clint Hill goal 15 minutes from time settled an even and unspectacular game at Elland Road, leaving Leeds to reflect on the result during a two-week international break.
But McDermott said: “I don’t get too high when we win or too low when we lose.
“You do what you have to and move on quickly.”
