Mighty Leeds Weblog

leedsunited.com 29/7/15 Leeds United will wear yellow again for the first time in five seasons after the new away kit for 2015/16 was unveiled on Wednesday. The stunning new design by teamwear partners Kappa will be available to purchase in the Elland Road Superstore from 9am this Friday morning (July 31). It will also be worn for the first time by the players in Saturday’s Elland Road pre-season friendly against Premier League side Everton. We can also confirm there will be no third shirt this season, meaning United will only play in either white or yellow. Kappa’s striking new design is a predominantly all-yellow affair, with a blue trim around the collar ensuring a stylish fit to the shirt. Kappa’s iconic ‘Omini’ logos appear on each shoulder, while ventilation panels down the sides allow for maximum breathability in all climates. Much like the immensely popular new home kit, the away shirt is without a main sponsor, making it unmistakably Leeds United with a retro feel. 2...

Yorkshire Post 29/7/15 Leeds United manager Uwe Rosler is facing a fight against time to bring in a left winger for the start of the new season. Having strengthened his squad with six new signings over the summer months, it is widely understood that he now wants one more player to join the ranks as he seeks to provide some width down the left flank. The arrival of goalkeeper Ross Turnbull on a free transfer from Barnsley – signing number six – left Rosler with a well-balanced squad of players. The 46-year-old had already spotted an obvious shortage of goals in the team, so deals for Chris Wood and Lee Erwin were done. Tom Adeyemi’s loan from Cardiff City gave Rosler sufficient depth in his midfield and the deal with Sol Bamba retained a strong centre-back and a potential captain. Turnbull came in as cover for a goalkeeper in Marco Silvestri who will start the new season as first choice and was otherwise lacking an experienced deputy. Turnbull was the most recent of the arrivals, s...

Yorkshire Evening Post 29/7/15 Leeds United are set to receive a six-figure cash windfall as former winger Max Gradel closes in on a move from St Etienne to Bournemouth. United stand to profit from a sell-on clause agreed when Gradel quit Elland Road for France in 2011. The controversial sale of the 27-year-old earned Leeds an upfront fee of around £2m but the terms of the agreement guaranteed United a cut of any future profit made by St Etienne – believed to be 10 per cent. Bournemouth, who Gradel played for previously, appear to have won the race to sign him and are expected to pay more than £5m to complete the transfer. The deal is expected to go through once St Etienne complete their Europa League qualifying matches. Gradel’s exit from Elland Road four years ago caused much upset among United’s support, coming at the very end of the summer transfer window and sacrificing a winger who had won their player-of-the-year award three months earlier. The Ivory Coast international sco...

Yorkshire Post 27/7/15 UWE ROSLER allayed fears of a serious injury to Lewis Cook after the midfielder limped out of Leeds United’s friendly defeat to Hoffenheim. United’s head coach said Cook was withdrawn as a “precaution” during the first half of yesterday’s match in Norway after taking a blow to one foot. Leeds’ talented youngster completed just 15 minutes of a 2-1 loss in Lillestrom but is expected to recover in time to feature in the club’s last friendly at home to Everton on Saturday. Rosler has seen a spate of injuries among his midfielders during United’s pre-season schedule. Luke Murphy underwent surgery three weeks ago and will miss the start of the Championship season and Tommaso Bianchi sat out yesterday’s friendly with a swollen knee. Rosler, however, expects Bianchi to train this week and asked about Cook, the German said: “He’s fine. He got a kick on his toe and we took him out just as a precaution. “We didn’t want to risk him two weeks before the season starts.” ...

leedsunited.com 25/7/15 We can confirm that striker Billy Sharp has left the club to re-join Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee. The 29-year-old, who joined moved to Elland Road from Southampton last summer, scored five times in 35 United appearances last term. We would like to thank Billy for his efforts here and wish him all the best for the future.

leedsunited.com 25/7/15 Uwe Rosler was full of praise for United’s display despite seeing his side suffer a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon in Norway. United had fallen behind after just two minutes in Lillestrom, with Mark Uth’s unstoppable effort leaving those inside the Arasen Stadion stunned as it sailed into the top corner. But Rosler’s men responded well and pulled level on 25 minutes courtesy of Tom Adeyemi’s first goal in Leeds colours. Second-half substitute Steven Zuber managed to clinch the victory for Hoffenheim, converting a cross from close-range, but Rosler still drew plenty of positives from the pre-season tour’s closing game. “I thought the first 45 minutes were excellent,” he said. “We camped in their half – against tough opposition from the Bundesliga. “We looked very strong physically and sharp. We pressed them high and they didn’t come out of their half. “We looked dangerous from set-pieces and we looked dangerous from open play....

Yorkshire Evening Post 25/7/15 Lewis Cook limped off injured and Tom Adeyemi scored his first Leeds United goal as the club suffered a 2-1 defeat to Hoffenheim in their penultimate pre-season friendly. Cook was lost to a knock early in the first half in Norway, creating a fresh injury worry for head coach Uwe Rosler with the new Championship season two weeks away. The Leeds boss saw Luke Murphy succumb to knee surgery earlier this month and midfielder Tommaso Bianchi also missed this afternoon’s match with a problem sustained in training. There was better news about Chris Wood, however, as the striker started against Hoffenheim. Wood - Leeds’ new signing from Leicester City - missed the previous two games against York City and Eintracht Frankfurt with a hamstring problem but he was passed fit for today’s clash at Lillestrom. Adeyemi, meanwhile, struck on 25 minutes to help Leeds recover from an early Hoffenheim goal. The Bundesliga side scored after two minutes through a long-ra...

leedsunited.com 25/7/15 UNITED 1 (Adeyemi 25), HOFFENHEIM 2 (Uth 2, Zuber 67) United team: Silvestri, Berardi, Bamba, Bellusci, Taylor (Cooper 65), Adeyemi (Sloth 84), Cook (Phillips 15), Mowatt (Walters 85), Byram (Erwin 80), Doukara (Antenucci 61), Wood (Morison 80). Subs. Turnbull, Coyle, Wootton, Horton. Hoffenheim team: Baumann, Schar, Schmid, Strobl, Toljan, Schwegler, Uth, Kim, Sule, Ochs, Volland. Subs. Grahl, Rudy, Zuber, Amiri, Elyounoussi, Rapp, Szalai, Mees, Gimber, Promel, Joelinton, Schindler, Kapp. Booked: Phillips, Bamba, Cooper (United) Att: 2,824 Just under 3,000 United supporters descended on Lillestrom SK’s Arasen Stadion in Norway for the final friendly of the pre-season tour – a meeting with highly-rated Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim. Uwe Rosler had anticipated a “top drawer” test ahead of kick-off, and that looked to be the case within just two minutes of the game getting underway as Hoffenheim took an early lead, Mark Uth unleashing an unstoppable strik...

Yorkshire Post 23/7/15 Phil Hay Billy Sharp’s move to Sheffield United is edging closer after Leeds United told the striker to return home from their training camp in Austria. Sharp was given permission to quit United’s base in Kossen and fly home to England this morning after productive talks between Leeds and Sheffield United over a transfer to Bramall Lane. The 29-year-old is a long-time Sheffield United target, a club he has already played for twice in his career, and Leeds are working to finalise an agreement with the Blades in the coming days. Negotiations progressed positively in the early part of this week and Sharp was left out of United’s pre season friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt in Eugendorf on Tuesday night. Head coach Uwe Rosler declined to comment on the reasons for his absence but it is understood that the forward was omitted because of his anticipated departure. Sharp still has a year left on his contract at Elland Road and Leeds are reluctant to bear the c...

Yorkshire Evening Post 22/7/15 Phil Hay The story of Tom Adeyemi rejecting a place at Cambridge University in order to chase a career in football is an apocryphal tale which seems to have stuck. “That’s more of a myth than anything,” he says. “Quite a good one but still a myth! It seems to be following me around everywhere though, so I just go with it.” It is true, however, to say that at the age of 18 Leeds United’s newest signing had options. He sat his A-levels and did well enough to apply for university. “The A-levels were really a back-up plan,” Adeyemi says. “I did them knowing that football was what I wanted to do. I’d say I made the right choice.” Uwe Rosler, United’s head coach, sees in Adeyemi not only a talented, athletic midfielder but a youngster who knows where he wants his career to go. After signing him on loan from Cardiff City last week, Rosler spoke about the “natural progression” of someone who has played in League Two, League One and now the Championship. In ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 21/7/15 In the humidity of a brilliant Austrian summer, Eintracht Frankfurt’s coach had one message for his squad: keep the ball and let the opposition sweat. Leeds United’s players might not have wanted that but under the shade of his dug-out, Uwe Rosler was pleased. The German coach knows German football and he warned Leeds that a team from the top half of the Bundesliga would try to pass them to death. It went that way for much of last night’s friendly in Austria but it was Frankfurt who flirted with defeat despite their limitless hold on the ball. The possession stats from Eugendorf would make fascinating reading and Eintracht were looking on in amazement at the scoreline with an hour played but they made heavy weather of doing with a flood of chances what Steve Morison did with one. The striker drew first blood in a fine friendly in the 27th minute by bludgeoning a split-second opening past Eintracht’s idle goalkeeper. It would have pleased Rosler to see...

leedsunited.com 21/7/15 Uwe Rosler hailed his players as "terrific" despite Tuesday’s 2-1 pre-season friendly defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, saying "we got exactly what we hoped for" out of the game. Steve Morison had opened the scoring after 26 minutes on a sweltering evening in Eugendorf after, beating Frankfurt goalkeeper Heinz Lindner with a well-placed finish after being picked out inside the area by Sam Byram. The goal came somewhat against the run of play, with United soaking up large spells of Frankfurt pressure and seeing the Bundesliga side clip the crossbar prior to taking the lead and ending the first half strongly. Johannes Flum equalised for the Germans on 59 minutes after meeting Stefan Aigner’s header at the back post, before Stefan Reinartz clinched the victory for Frankfurt 15 minutes later as he forced the ball home from close-range. Rosler said: "I think the players were terrific. We got exactly what we hoped for – we played against a t...

leedsunited.com 21/7/15 UNITED 1 (Morison 26), FRANKFURT 2 (Flum 59, Reinartz 74) United team: Silvestri (Turnbull 77), Wootton, Cooper, Bamba (Bellusci 77), Berardi, Bianchi (Adeyemi 56), Cook (Phillips 71), Mowatt (Taylor 63), Byram (Erwin 77), Sloth (Antenucci 56), Morison (Doukara 71). Subs. Coyle, Walters, Horton. Frankfurt team: Lindner, Oczipka, Reinartz, Inui, Seferovic, Aigner, Flum, Abraham, Hasebe, Stendera, Castaignos. Subs. Balayev, Becker, Kadlec, Djakpa, Waldschmidt, Medojevic, Ignovski, Kinsombi, Gerezgiher, Bunjaki. After touching base in Austria on Saturday afternoon, United’s pre-season tour kicked-off with a friendly against Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt in the intimate surroundings of Eugendorf’s Sportzentrum. It was the Germans who began the brightest in front of a partisan United following, with Marco Silvestri sprawling low to his left to hold Tokashi Inui’s effort, while Hans Seferovic skied a back-post volley into the fields behind the goal. Si...

Yorkshire Evening Post 19/7/15 Leeds United’s pre-season trip to Austria and Norway will see them move from conditioning to tactical work against useful opponents Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim. Phil Hay reports. The first two weeks of Uwe Rosler’s pre-season plan dwelt solely on fitness. The German was happy to admit that Leeds United’s players would not enjoy the slog. In Austria and Norway, Rosler’s interest is entirely in football; in tactics, formations and the technical aspects of how he wants Leeds to play next season. It is no coincidence that as his own focus changes, the standard of the club’s opposition does too. United were at risk of being left without a meaningful friendly tomorrow after a game against Athletic Bilbao fell foul of Bilbao’s involvement in the Europa League but a meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt in Salzburg will give Rosler what he wants – an examination by a side who should in theory be better than his. Frankfurt’s league season starts a week aft...

Yorkshire Post 16/7/15 Phil Hay The risk to Neil Redfearn in becoming Leeds United head coach was borne out by his resignation. There are many who will say that it was bound to end this way - and not just because of Massimo Cellino’s punishing critique of him two months ago. Cellino killed their relationship by attacking Redfearn in a Sunday Mirror interview on May 18 but Redfearn was in harm’s way from the moment he accepted his promotion from the academy last November. He was asked back then how realistic his deal with Leeds was; whether it was genuinely feasible to think that if he did not survive as head coach beyond last season, the role of academy manager would remain open to him. “I’m realistic enough to know that things happen in football,” he said. “I could take the Under-11s and still enjoy myself.” That is probably true, or it was when Leeds promoted him from within. But Redfearn’s humble opinion ignored certain facts of life: the most obvious being that if he was repl...

Yorkshire Post 16/7/15 FORMER head coach Neil Redfearn has quit Leeds United amid claims the club made his position ‘untenable’. The 50-year-old handed in his resignation earlier this morning after he and Leeds failed to agree the terms of a deal to sever his employment. United executive director Adam Pearson had been attempting to negotiate a settlement following the breakdown of Redfearn’s relationship with owner Massimo Cellino. But in a statement released this morning, Redfearn said: “It is with great sadness that I am resigning from my employment at Leeds United with immediate effect. “I am desperately disappointed that Adam Pearson’s ‘offer’ of a return to my old position as academy manager was not genuine and the club have since made my position untenable by refusing to let me take up my post at Thorp Arch.” Redfearn finished last season as United’s head coach, managing the first-team squad in a period when Cellino was banned from running the club by the Football League, b...

leedsunited.com 15/7/15 Uwe Rosler was keen to focus on "the positive things" following Wednesday's 1-1 pre-season draw at York City, saying his side were "far more competitive" than Friday's opening fixture against Harrogate. With little between the two teams during the opening stages at Bootham Crescent, Rosler’s men broke the deadlock on 35 minutes as Sam Byram met Alex Mowatt’s back-post cross to power a header home from close-range. United looked to be good value for the lead, with goalkeeper Michael Ingham keeping the hosts in the game with a number of fine second-half saves, but York struck 10 minutes from time to level the contest with a tap-in from Marvin McCoy. “There was a lot of good stuff,” said Rosler. “The goal against us was unnecessary but we are focusing on the positive things. “The way we pressed was far more competitive today than it was against Harrogate – it was a proper football match. “We met good opponents and – especially in t...

leedsunited.com 15/7/15 YORK 1 (McCoy 80), UNITED 1 (Byram 35) York team: Flinders, McCoy, Berrett, McCombe, Summerfield, Oliver, Penn, Carson, Lowe, Winfield, Player A. Subs. Ilesanmi, Player C, Straker, Player B, Platt, Meikle, Hirst, Ingham, Rzonca, Godfrey. United team: Turnbull (Horton 81), Berardi (Wootton 72), Bellusci, Bamba, Taylor, Byram, Cook, Bianchi, Mowatt (Ajose 77), Erwin (Drury 56), Morison. Subs. Purver, Dawson. Attendance: 4,348 (2,313 United) United’s second pre-season friendly of the summer – another local affair in the shape of a visit to York City – saw Uwe Rosler hand a first start to goalkeeper Ross Turnbull, just hours after completing his switch from Barnsley on a two-year deal. Elsewhere, a United XI – overseen by Rob Kelly and Richard Hartis – were in action at Tadcaster Albion and featured several first-team members, including Marco Silvestri, Liam Cooper, Billy Sharp and Mirco Antenucci in a bid to increase the squad’s share of playing time. Kick-o...

Yorkshire Post 15/7/15 Leeds United have signed former Doncaster Rovers and Middlesbrough goalkeeper Ross Turnbull from Yorkshire rivals Barnsley. In doing so, Uwe Rosler has ticked another box in his plans for the new season. Turnbull arrives at Elland Road principally as cover for first-choice keeper Marco Silvestri. United have signed Turnbull on a two-year contract after the 30-year-old completed his recovery from a back injury. Turnbull missed Barnsley’s run-in last season after undergoing surgery on the problem but Leeds monitored him throughout the summer and finalised a free transfer this afternoon. He is expected to play in one of United’s friendlies at York City and Tadcaster Albion this evening. The former Middlesbrough and Chelsea player had 12 months remaining on his deal at Oakwell but Barnsley will use Adam Davies as first choice during the forthcoming League One campaign and were looking to remove Turnbull from their wage bill. The transfer takes United’s tally ...

Yorkshire Post 15/7/15 UWE ROSLER believes Leeds United have stolen a march on their Championship rivals by getting “95 per cent of our business done” with the new season still a little under a month away. The Elland Road club yesterday sealed a fifth addition of the summer after Tom Adeyemi joined on a season-long loan deal from Cardiff City. Following on from the £2m capture of Chris Wood plus the arrival of Sol Bamba, Charlie Horton and Lee Erwin, Rosler is delighted to have the make-up of his squad all but confirmed at such an early stage. Ahead of tonight’s friendly clash at York City, the United head coach said: “We have done good business within our framework and our budget. “As a manager, you always look to ask the question to your chairman. Can we do something there? You never rest, you are never happy. But I have an understanding of the financial situation of the football club. “I have always been a believer that you can only do what you can do, and get on with what you...

leedsunited.com 14/7/15 Uwe Rosler has spoken of his excitement at the loan signing of Tom Adeyemi, saying that the opportunity to work with the midfielder again was "too good to turn down". Adeyemi became United’s fifth signing of the summer so far on Tuesday morning, joining on a season-long loan from Cardiff City with a view to a permanent deal. And the 23-year-old is no stranger to Rosler, with the pair having spent the 2012/13 campaign together at Brentford – where Adeyemi was on loan from Norwich. “I worked with Tom at Brentford and I’ve followed his progress since then,” said Rosler. “He’s a very competent midfielder with Championship qualities. “After we lost Rodolph Austin and with the injury to Luke Murphy, we were short in the midfield area. The opportunity to work again with Tom was too good to turn down. “He will add physicality, dynamism, good athleticism, height and footballing skills to our midfield. “We have different types of midfielders now and it ma...

Yorkshire Post 14/7/15 Leeds United midfielder Luke Murphy has signed a new four-year deal with the club – and taken a substantial pay cut in the process. As reported in the YEP yesterday, Murphy, 25, has agreed fresh terms until 2019 with the Elland Road side he joined for £1million from Crewe Alexandra back in 2013. He is currently sidelined with a knee injury he picked up in pre-season training, but says he is happy at Leeds and never had any intention of leaving. Murphy, whose contract was due to expire at the end of next season has played 72 times for the Whites and played a big part in their resurgence in the second part of last season – having been out of favour before Christmas. A statement by the club said the Macclesfield-born schemer had shown his commitment “by taking a considerable wage reduction to sign until 2019”. Murphy said: “There wasn’t really much to think about – I’m really happy here. “I’ve obviously had ups and downs but towards the end of last season I r...

leedsunited.com 14/7/15 Tom Adeyemi insists it was an "easy decision" to make his loan move from Cardiff City, saying the opportunity to link up again with Uwe Rosler helped make Leeds the "perfect club to come to". Adeyemi, 23, was announced as United’s fifth summer signing on Tuesday morning after joining from the Bluebirds on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal. The midfielder has previously worked under Rosler during a spell at Brentford, and he says the opportunity to be coached by him again played a big part in making this switch. "I’m really happy to be here," Adeyemi said. "I’m glad it’s all gone smoothly and I’m just looking forward to getting out there and getting the season started. "I first heard it was a possibility last week and over the weekend it became clear that it could happen. "Cardiff said they were happy for it to happen and at that point it was an easy decision for me to get on the motorway. ...

leedsunited.com 14/7/15 We are pleased to announce the signing of midfielder Tom Adeyemi on a season-long loan from Cardiff City. Adeyemi, who joins with a view to a permanent deal, becomes our fifth arrival of the summer so far. The 23-year-old, a product of Norwich City’s youth system, follows former Cardiff team-mate Charlie Horton, Lee Erwin, Sol Bamba and Chris Wood in making the switch to Elland Road this summer. Adeyemi’s career began at Carrow Road and he made his senior debut aged 17, before going on to enjoy fruitful loan spells with Bradford City, Oldham Athletic and Brentford - playing under Uwe Rosler at the latter - as he gained valuable first-team experience. As a youngster he declined an offer from Cambridge University to pursue his footballing career, and March 2010 saw him named as the League One Apprentice of the Year, an accolade recently won at Championship level by United’s Lewis Cook. Adeyemi’s five years as a professional with Norwich – totalling 17 appear...

leedsunited.com 13/7/15 Leeds United is delighted to announce that the club has re-purchased the catering and beverage rights for Elland Road Stadium and the Centenary Pavilion. All catering, both match-day and non-match-day, had been sold and outsourced to Compass back in June 2012 for a significant upfront payment. United Chairman Massimo Cellino said: “I’m delighted to have brought back what naturally belongs to Leeds United. “To be able to provide our own Conference and Banqueting facilities on match-days and non match-days is a positive step in the restructuring of the club.” This change is with immediate effect and all catering and beverage sales throughout the year will be the responsibility of Leeds United. Mr Cellino added: “It is now the club’s intention to be in control of all its own assets as soon as possible. “A lot of these assets like the club’s Conference and Banqueting businesses had been sold off over the last 10 years and this has been a contributing factor i...

Yorkshire Evening Post 13/7/15 Phil Hay Sol Bamba says he will be ready to step up and take the captaincy at Leeds United next season if head coach Uwe Rosler gives the armband to him. Bamba admitted that he would be happy to lead United’s squad after earning praise from Rosler for setting the example during Friday night’s friendly against Harrogate Town. Rosler described Bamba’s 45-minute performance in a 1-1 draw at Wetherby Road as “fantastic”, crediting him for “setting the tone” after an unconvincing first half. Leeds trailed at the break having struggled to adapt to Rosler’s 3-5-2 formation but a change of system and personnel at the start of the second half saw Steve Morison produce an immediate equaliser. Rosler singled out Bamba afterwards, saying: “That’s how I wish to see my defenders competing.” Bamba returned to Leeds on a two-year deal from Palermo a month ago, completing a permanent transfer after a successful loan at Elland Road last season. The 30-year-old – an ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 12/7/15 Uwe Rosler remembers clearly his first year of transfer business at Brentford: 16 players in and 16 players out. The transition was a full-blown revolution and it pleased him to know that Leeds United would not need the same surgical treatment. Where pre-season friendlies were concerned, the club’s head coach also thought that less was more. Rosler set a limit of five games this summer and any additional matches in the fortnight before the season starts will be used to give fringe players a little more game time. It’s a far cry from Brian McDermott’s Tuesday night game at Stevenage and David Hockaday’s midweek visit to Swindon. In his initial assessment of United’s squad, Rosler realised two things. Firstly, that he was generally pleased with the players available to him but secondly, that for all their ability, those players would need concerted schooling in his style of play. The training pitch was where Rosler believed the telling work would be d...

leedsunited.com 10/7/15 Uwe Rosler admits he is still "finding out about the players" but says he saw a marked second-half improvement following his side’s 1-1 pre-season draw at Harrogate Town on Friday evening. The hosts had opened scoring in front of a capacity CNG Stadium crowd, with Cecil Nyoni stabbing in from close-range after a deflected free-kick had fallen kindly into his path. But United, having made 10 changes at the break, came out for the second half looking to assert their authority on the game and duly equalised within just four minutes of the restart through Steve Morison. Half-time substitute Souleymane Doukara, who was utilised on the right of a front three, beat his marker before setting up Casper Sloth to deliver an inch-perfect cross for Morison to guide home with a flying header, as the first friendly of the summer ended all square. Rosler said: "Everybody got 45 minutes with no injuries – that’s a positive thing. "In the second half we ...

leedsunited.com 10/7/15 HARROGATE 1 (Nyoni 32), UNITED 1 (Morison 49) (7.30pm) Harrogate team: Crook, Ellis, McGurk, Pell, Colbeck, Nyoni, Thirlwell, Turner, Daniels, Clayton, Thewlis. Subs. Bloomer, Coates, Cadman, Worral, Bower, Emmett, Speight, Hunter, Johnson. United team (first half): Silvestri, Byram, Wootton, Bellusci, Cooper, Phillips, Mowatt, Ajose, Antenucci, Erwin, Wood. United team (second half): Silvestri (Horton 74), Berardi, Bamba, Killock, Taylor, Sloth, Bianchi, Cook, Doukara, Morison, Sharp. United subs: Horton, Walters, Drury, Coyle. United began their pre-season schedule with a visit to local outfit Harrogate Town, and Uwe Rosler, taking charge for the first time, named different sides for each half on a glorious summer’s evening at a near-capacity CNG Stadium. The first half saw summer signings Chris Wood and Lee Erwin both handed their first United starts in attack, while Nicky Ajose also returned for his first game in Leeds colours since last August ha...

Yorkshire Evening Post 9/7/15 Leeds United have revealed their kit for the 2015-16 season – minus a shirt sponsor. The club’s new strip will go on sale on Saturday after they unveiled the design at a Q&A session with head coach Uwe Rosler and a number of first-team players. Italian sportswear firm Kappa is beginning a five-year deal to supply Leeds’ matchday and training kits, replacing previous supplier Macron. Macron’s own deal was due to expire at the end of next season but United are embroiled in a contractual dispute with the company and brought Kappa to the table last month. Leeds owner Massimo Cellino previously used Kappa to produce Cagliari’s kit during his time as president of the Sardinian club. Next season’s strip is predominantly white with blue trim but it was unveiled last night with the unusual absence of a shirt sponsor, owing to a separate legal dispute. Current sponsor Enterprise Insurance has an agreement running to 2016 but its logos look set to be mis...

Yorkshire Evening Post 9/7/15 Phil Hay Leeds United head coach Uwe Rosler said the addition of another midfielder to his squad was crucial after revealing that Luke Murphy would miss the start of the new season through injury. Murphy will be absent for up to seven weeks following a minor knee operation and the loss of the 25-year-old ahead of Leeds’ first summer friendly has intensified Rosler’s search for players in his position. United’s boss expects Murphy to sit out all five of United’s pre-season fixtures and admitted that he had little prospect of recovering in time for the opening match of the Championship season at home to Burnley on August 8. Rosler has other central midfielders available to him, including youngsters Alex Mowatt and Lewis Cook and Italian Tommaso Bianchi, but Leeds opted to release Jamaican international Rodolph Austin at the end of last season. Asked if Murphy’s injury would force him to look for midfield cover, Rosler said: “We lost Rodolph Austin and ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 4/7/15 Phil Hay Neil Redfearn is set to part company with Leeds United, it is understood. Redfearn and the club are negotiating a settlement which will end his six-and-a-half-year spell as a coach at Elland Road. The 49-year-old’s departure is still to be finalised but the recent breakdown of his relationship with United owner Massimo Cellino will see him move on in the coming days. Redfearn, who first joined Leeds’ academy coaching team in 2009, finished last season as head coach but was replaced in that role by Uwe Rosler in May. Cellino is believed to have pushed for a parting of ways in the aftermath of Rosler’s arrival, despite suggestions that Redfearn would remain at the club. Redfearn’s contract – agreed when he became head coach last November – gave him the right to resume his old job as academy manager this summer. Speaking on the day of Rosler’s unveiling, executive director Adam Pearson said: “Neil’s been offered the appointment back in charge...

Yorkshire Evening Post 3/7/15 The Professional Footballers’ Association has asked the Football League to impose a transfer embargo on Leeds United as punishment for non-payment of wages owed to Cameron Stewart. The players’ union wants the League to bring sanctions against United amid the long-standing dispute caused by Stewart’s aborted transfer to Elland Road last summer. Leeds are facing a bill in excess of £500,000 after pulling out of a deal to sign Stewart from Hull City a year ago. The winger agreed a three-year deal when he joined Leeds on loan midway through the 2013-14 season but problems with the paperwork saw the Football League return the contract to Elland Road. The original deal had been signed by former managing director David Haigh - one of United’s ‘authorised signatories’ at the time - but Haigh quit that role in April 2014 and was no longer registered as a signatory with the Football League. Leeds owner Massimo Cellino refused to issue a replacement contract a...