Mighty Leeds Weblog

Whites complete deal for young winger. Leeds United are pleased to announce the signing of winger Amari Miller from Sky Bet Championship side Birmingham City. The 18-year-old joins the club for an undisclosed fee and has signed a four-year-deal, running until the summer of 2025. After catching the eye for Birmingham’s Under-18s, Miller was handed a first team debut against Stoke City in April, by former Leeds United midfielder Lee Bowyer, who is now in charge at the Trillion Trophy Stadium. Two further appearances followed from the bench in the home draw with Nottingham Forest and away victory against Derby County. He then ended the campaign by making back-to-back Sky Bet Championship starts, as the Blues went on to finish nine points above the relegation zone. Miller becomes Leeds’ first signing of the summer transfer window and will initially link up with Mark Jackson’s Under-23 side, who will feature in Premier League 2 Division 1 in the upcoming campaign, after winning ...

Leeds United have been linked with a move for Hertha Berlin star Matheus Cunha this summer - but who is he? By Joe Urquhart Brazilian attacker Matheus Cunha, who like Rodrigo De Paul has indulged in some social media flirtation with Leeds fans, is currently classed as 'unlikely' when it comes to Leeds' summer additions the YEP understands, although as the case of Raphinha proved last summer, situations can change quickly in the window. The Hertha BSC man is someone Orta has liked for a while. He began the 2020/21 Bundesliga season in incredible form, scoring six goals and making three in his first 10 games, but thereafter scored just one more all season as his side finished 14th in the 18-team German top flight. Here, we take a closer look at the Elland Road target: Name: Matheus Cunha Age: 22 Position: Forward Nationality: Brazilian Previous clubs: FC Sion, RB Leipzig Current club: Hertha Berlin Who is Matheus Cunha? Matheus Cunha began his professi...

Leeds United are interested in bringing Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo to Elland Road this summer - but who is he? By Joe Urquhart The 24-year-old is a strong candidate for the left-back vacancy on Victor Orta's transfer shortlist, although Leeds are facing opposition from European clubs including Napoli, who qualified for the Europa League last season, and a number of Champions League outfits. Here, we take a closer look at the Elland Road target: Name: Junior Firpo Age: 24 Position: Left-back Nationality: Dominican Republic/Spain (dual citizenship) Previous clubs: Real Betis B, Real Betis Current club: Barcelona Who is Junior Firpo? Leeds United target Junior Firpo is a versatile left-back who currently plays for La Liga giants Barcelona. The 24-year-old's professional career began when he joined Real Betis at the age of 18 in 2015 from CD Puerto Malagueño. He initially linked up with the club's B-side before being promoted to the first team in...

Leeds United are not interested in signing Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez this summer, according to Beren Cross. This has been the ongoing saga of the summer so far, with Italian outlets claiming that the Uruguayan star has all but signed for the Whites this week. Leeds Live journalist Cross has shut those down though, claiming the player was never even on Victor Orta’s shortlist. Writing for Leeds Live on Sunday, Cross shared the major update that will make everyone sit up and take notice, and also expect the unexpected. “Nahitan Nandez is not on the verge of joining Leeds United, nor even on Victor Orta’s current transfer shortlist as it stands,” he wrote. “However, Leeds Live understands this is not the case and the 25-year-old is not currently on the list Orta is working with as he looks to enhance the United roster for the 2021/22 campaign.” Leeds are really keeping us guessing this season, and it appears as though we may not know the identity of many signings unti...

PABLO Hernandez conjured up many Leeds United highs and memorable Whites goals were aplenty. By Lee Sobot Thirty-six goals to be precise in his five years at the club, and not many of his contributions were tap-ins. But it was the Spaniard’s goal against Swansea City of July 2020 that will always prove his lasting legacy and a strike that is widely regarded as the one that sent Leeds on their way up. United kicked off their fourth-last game of the campaign sitting top of the Championship table but only one point clear of second-placed West Brom. More to the point, third-placed Brentford were just three points back in third and threatening to take the automatic promotion race to the wire. But Hernandez had other ideas and struck in the 89th minute to net the goal from which Leeds never looked back; three straight wins followed to seal promotion in the ultimate style, finishing 10 points clear as champions. The game fell just two days after the passing of United’s all-time ...

By Daniel Sheridan Mosley is the official artist for Team GB at the upcoming Olympic Games and has also painted two stunning murals at Wembley Stadium celebrating the history of the England football team and the home of football. He painted “Norman’s Victory” after meeting Hunter’s family following the former footballer's death from COVID-19 earlier this year. Mosley will be presenting the commissioned painting to Hunter's family but has also created 25 rare limited edition prints to be sold to raise money for the Leeds Hospitals Charity in Hunter’s memory. Each print will be signed and numbered and are likely to be sought-after by fans of the Leeds United and England footballing star. The painting is influenced by stained-glass windows and celebrates Hunter’s football career with Leeds United and England. Mr Mosley said: “As soon as I met Norman’s family I knew I wanted to help create something to celebrate Norman’s life. “I’m a big football fan myself so I know ...

And as quick as that, the Group Stage of the Euros is over. By The Board Of The Leeds United Supporters Trust Commiserations to Leeds United’s own Ezgjan Alioski, Mateusz Klich and Liam Cooper who unfortunately won’t be progressing to the knockout rounds with North Macedonia, Poland and Scotland. And of course, we must congratulate all our other players at the tournament who will be moving into the next phase of the competition with their countries. A special mention has to go to Kalvin Phillips for the incredible role he has played in England’s tournament so far. The only outfield player to have played every minute of the competition, Kalvin has overseen three successive clean sheets following that incredible performance in the first game where he picked up an assist. Watching a player we have all known and loved for so long thrive on the international stage has without a doubt been the most rewarding aspect of the tournament so far. After finishing top of the group Kalvin and...

PABLO Hernandez has outlined his wishes for his next move after showing his talents during a glorious five years with Leeds United. By Lee Sobot Former Valencia and Swansea City playmaker Hernandez joined Leeds from Al-Arabi in August 2016 and the Spaniard went on to make 175 appearances for the Whites, scoring 36 goals and providing 41 assists. Hernandez ended half a decade at the club through his departure this summer and the former Spanish international is now 36 years old but Hernandez says his displays at Leeds showed what he still has to offer. The former Whites star part owns hometown club Castellon but Castellon have just been relegated from Spanish football's second tier. The modern day Leeds legend has been linked with a move to Segunda Division side FC Cartagena and Hernandez has outlined his desire to be part of a project with ambition in the twilight of his career. “I have shown it at Leeds, and I want to go to an ambitious project and to a place that aspir...

The video put out on Michael Cuisance’s Instagram account was the usual slick, glossy affair that heralds the end of a season or a transfer move for a player. By Graham Smyth The private jet, the aerial drone shots, the medical, which we’ll come back to, the signing of a contract, the posing for photos, it was all there. But other than two goals, the only two he scored for Olympique Marseille, the video was light on actual match action. If anything, the video was representative of how things went for the Bayern Munich midfielder after the chance to spend the season in the Premier League with Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United was taken from him. The excitement, fanfare and a sense of luxury and quality gave way to a reality that looked a lot different and a season that was light on success, at least from a purely individual point of view for Cuisance. Marseille finished fifth in Ligue 1, 16 points behind fourth-placed Lyon, to qualify for the Europa League and the likelihood is th...

Leeds United fans, it’s time to unite and stop BT from allegedly ruining the artwork of one of our own, the Burley Bansky. Andy McVeigh is well known in Leeds for his intricate street artwork across the city that has paid tributes to the likes of Marcelo Bielsa’s men and the NHS. Some of the Burley Banksy’s artwork features on communication boxes across Leeds – and it seems that BT have taken exception to this. McVeigh has alleged on his personal Twitter account that BT have not only already painted over some of his artwork in Rothwell, but they have also threatened to paint over other boxes and potentially charge him for the work. Writing on Thursday morning, McVeigh said: “After receiving a few complaints, BT have painted over my art in Rothwell and said may paint over all my art on their boxes [and possibly] charge me for it. “[I] presume that includes ones thanking NHS outside Leeds hospitals, [Gary] Speed etc.” McVeigh added that if you disagree with BT then you should...

Smarting from losing the 1975 European Cup final, the following season was a fractious and uneven campaign with some of United's older hands starting to show the ravages of time. One of them, Norman Hunter was involved in a a disgraceful onfield clash with Derby striker Francis Lee at the beginning of November. Former England international Lee, had left Manchester City to join Derby in a £110,000 deal a year earlier, had a reputation for diving in the area to win penalties. In the first half, Lee had conned referee Derek Nippard into awarding the Rams a spot kick after throwing himself to the turf after a challenge from Hunter. Bites Yer Legs had been seething with indignation ever since – he was often guilty of some brutal tackling but was the embodiment of ‘firm but fair’ and detested what he saw as blatant cheating. The pair had continued to niggle away at each other for the rest of the game and seven minutes into the second half, following a shot by Lee, Hunter clattered in...

Barry Foster A goal in the 56 th minute at Anfield last night by Arsenal’s striker, Ray Kennedy, finally killed Liverpool’s attempt to keep their title and Leeds United became champions for the second time in five years. It was at Anfield that Leeds won their first League title in 1969. Last night Liverpool needed to win to have a realistic chance of saving their crown, but despite intensive pressure, particularly in the second half when the Arsenal goal had a charmed life, they never quite penetrated Arsenal’s defence in depth and so lost the chance of doing the double. Arsenal played well, breaking fast under the guidance of Alan Ball and Liam Brady, finally scoring the vital goal when Liverpool overstretched in attack. Ball started the move on the right but by the time Eddie Kelly made his short cross from the left Liverpool had been split wide open and Kennedy had no trouble in prodding the ball home from close range. The 47,897 spectators had seen Jimmy Rimmer, the form...

LEEDS United Supporters Club have written to Whites CEO Angus Kinnear with 70 proposals for Elland Road development, including the biggest kop stand in the country. By Graham Smyth The development of the Don Revie [North] stand to enable a ‘Wall of Noise’ akin to the Yellow Wall at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park in Leeds’ twin city is chief among the suggestions from the Supporters Club. Newly-appointed acting chairman Lord John Mann is to meet with Leeds City Council and local community representatives to present the supporters’ vision, having already briefed MP Tracey Crouch who is leading the government’s fan-led football review. “Our proposed single tier Revie stand will take the Elland Road atmosphere to a new level creating the Leeds Wall of Noise, unprecedented anywhere in football,” he said “We look forward to fruitful discussions with the club owners.” The proposals emerged through a working group and consultation across the branches of the Supporters Club. ...

A senior Leeds City Council officer has admitted Leeds United “changed their minds at a very late stage”, after the emergence of plans by the club to pull out of a proposed new training ground on a former south Leeds school site. By Richard Beecham It follows news last week that the club no longer planned to build a training ground at the former Matthew Murray High School, as expanding Elland Road to a 55,000 capacity was a bigger priority. The club’s revised stadium plan will instead mean a proposed switch for the Parklife community facility, from Fullerton Park to the Matthew Murray site in Holbeck, where Leeds had planned to build a £25m state-of-the-art training facility. Members of Leeds City Council’s decision-making Executive Board heard this was because there would not be room to include the scheme along with the extra stadium capacity, park and ride and ice rink on the Fullerton Park site. Under the new proposals, facilities provided by Parklife would now include; fo...

Pascal’s programme interview. Throughout the season, the match day programme includes a feature length interview with one Leeds United star, every home game. We go into life on and off the pitch, giving fans an insight into the more personal aspect and life of our squad. Here is a taste of what you might have missed, and in the future, more of what you can expect to read! We begin our look back over the season with Pascal Struijk, telling us about how he likes to walk his dogs, play on the PlayStation, wants to emulate the performances of Virgil van Dijk and working hard under Marcelo Bielsa. Going back to earlier in the campaign, how proud were you to make your Premier League debut, at Anfield against Liverpool? “I was a bit nervous to play in my first Premier League game. I had to pull myself together for the game and make sure I was there and especially just enjoy the moment. I don't know how many times I’m going to play here, I hope a lot, but enjoy the moment, see ho...

By Geoffrey Green Football Correspondent Leeds United today stand within an arm's length of becoming the third side in the 20th century to achieve the double. It may yet prove a long arm because of the existing tensions. But having beaten Arsenal, the holders, 1-0 for the FA Cup at Wembley on Saturday—a score that did not reflect their second half supremacy—what they need tonight is a draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux also to lift the league championship. That precious point would give the title to Leeds and with it a deserved place in history at the side of Preston North End (1889), Aston Villa (1897), Tottenham Hotspur (1961) and Arsenal (1971). For long it had been considered that this twin feat in a single season sas impossible under the pressures of the modern game. But here it is in sight again for the third time in 11 years. There must be a message there somewhere. If Leeds do reach their goal tonight, it will be a unique and great achievement as they ...

Local lad Oliver Casey has ended his 10-year stay at Leeds United and signed for Blackpool. By Graham Smyth The newly-promoted Championship club have confirmed the 20-year-old's arrival, on a free transfer with a sell-on clause for the Whites, this afternon. He has signed a three-year deal with an option to extend. Casey first joined his home city club at the age of 10, signed by Andy Wood for the academy having first played for Wigton Moors Juniors from the age of six and then Leeds City Boys. He has paid tribute to everyone who has helped him progress at Thorp Arch in a message on social media. "I would like to thank everyone at Leeds United for the past 10 years at the club, staff, players and fans," he said. "I've gone on to achieve things I never thought would be possible at this club and I couldn't have done it without everyone involved. I wish you all the best in future." He signed his first professional contract at Elland Road at th...

Leeds United left-back Gjanni Alioski will face no action from the FA after a 'thorough investigation' into a gesture aimed at Burnley's Dwight McNeil late last season. By Graham Smyth The FA have confirmed that no disciplinary action will be taken because none of the witnesses who were interviewed during the investigation conclusively believed Alioski's gesture was discriminatory. McNeil had confronted Alioski after a challenge left the Leeds defender on the turf, leaning down to remonstrate with him. When Alioski got to his feet he stuck out his tongue, and put his hands to the side of his head in a playground gesture. Match referee Graham Scott halted the game at Turf Moor on May 15 to speak to Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa and Burnley manager Sean Dyche and make them aware that an allegation had been made. After the game Dyche confirmed to the media that one of his players had made a report, but refused to comment on the nature of the allegation, while Bielsa...

The podcast has previous with contacts in the agent world - and put the news out on Twitter. By Jack Robshaw   Jun 22, 2021, 12:21pm BST The agent of Uruguay international midfielder Nahitan Nandez, Pablo Bentancur, has provided quotes to Leeds United podcast ‘lufcfanzone’ suggesting a move to Leeds would be of strong interest to the Cagliari midfielder. There have been stories floating around for a while linking Nandez to Leeds, with a rumoured fee of around £30m. Which most people agree is more than Leeds should pay if they were to do the deal. As with all stories like this the usual caveats apply, the agent could be talking to try and make the move happen - or to scare other teams into jumping the gun/raising their offers. With the previous this particular podcast has in the agent world, I believe the quotes to be genuine. Bentancur said the following: “Our wish is to play in England; if it is with Leeds United that would be much better. “Cagliari President Giulili...

By GEOFFREY GREEN, Football Correspondent Chelsea 2, Leeds United 1 The treadmill is over. A new name is on the F.A. Cup and it belongs to Chelsea. One of the most punishing finals in modern history-perhaps all history- begun at Wembley with extra time over a fortnight ago, ended at Old Trafford, Manchester, last night, again in extra time. Looking back over the long struggle we can now say that Chelsea came three times from behind to match the league champions of last year and finally snatched the winner 14 minutes in the extra period. Any side that can do that against such a worthy foe from Yorkshire deserve their trophy. So, with an historic touch about it. Chelsea have at last won the prize which they first played for at Old Trafford in the final of 1915, when Sheffield United beat them. And when Lord Derby that day handed the cup to the Yorkshire- men of Sheffield, he said: "You have played with one another and against one another for this cup. Play together for England now !...

Gjanni Alioski has one final game in the shop window today before deciding his Leeds United future. By Graham Smyth The left-back will feature for North Macedonia in their final Euro 2020 Group C game against the Netherlands in Amsterdam. Alioski is yet to accept the offer tabled by the Whites, which still stands, ahead of the expiration of his Elland Road contract on June 30 (Wednesday week). The 29-year-old has had interest from elsewhere, including clubs in Turkey, but Leeds who felt their post-season discussions with Alioski were positive, are adamant he remains very welcome to stay and would be open to further discussions with the player and his representatives. Playing a key role for his national team at a major tournament was a well-timed opportunity for Alioski to attract other offers, but barring the miraculous, North Macedonia will exit the competition at the group stage. His attention will then turn to the future and a decision on whether or not he wants to stay an...