Now That We’ve Signed James What Are We Gonna Do With Him? - The Square Ball 1/9/21

SWEET DAN, WE FOUND HIM

Written by Patrick Gunn

If there’s one thing we’ve learned after three years of Marcelo Bielsa it’s that if Plan A doesn’t work, there is no Plan B. Plan B is Plan A done better. There are tweaks and occasional experiments with player positions (I’ll refrain from making the horrendously immature ‘Koch in the hole’ joke), but ninety-nine times out of a hundred we come back to Bielsaball as Bielsa intended.

Is it any real surprise, then, to see the diminutive figure of Welsh-whippet Daniel James again waiting anxiously by the door of Elland Road, wondering if he’ll be let in this time?

It may have been lost in the chaos of his transfer breakdown back in January 2019, but Leeds and Bielsa were very clear back then about their ongoing desire to bring James to Leeds. Victor Orta’s reaction, captured by the Amazon Prime cameras, was unfiltered emotion (something Victor is usually displaying one way or another). His fury over losing a player who was all but tucked up in his Leeds United pyjamas by the time Swansea pulled the plug was anger at his work coming to nothing, but also despair that a player who was buying into what the club was trying to do, and had the talent to make an impact, was slipping through his fingers.

When that club in Salford that isn’t Salford City snapped James up later the same year, it was symbolic justification of Orta’s rage. They believed James was not just a supreme talent for the Championship, but had the potential to perform at the very highest level. And after his blistering start in not-really-Manchester, Orta’s broken phone and primal scream seemed like an under-reaction after all. But when James’ candle began to flicker and spit, and his role was reduced to an every now and againer, whispers about Leeds were heard again. Was their interest real? Was James really worth the effort? Hadn’t everyone moved on?

Well, two-and-a-half years after the biggest transfer turnaround since Peter Odemwingie drove from Birmingham to London, Bielsa, the ultimate obsessive, has finally got his man. And for a pretty hefty fee. The worrying question is, and whisper this very quietly, do we actually need him?

Consensus is hard to find at Leeds United. No matter the question, you’ll receive a spectrum of opinion from this fan-base. Bates, Cellino, Ridsdale, Hockaday… you name it, a Leeds fan will comment. Then another one will disagree and call them a nonce. It’s one of the ways Bielsa’s tenure at Elland Road has been so amazing. For the first time in… ever, Leeds fans agree on something, no matter how many times TalkSport find their one ‘fan’ who thinks Bielsa should be replaced by Sam Allardyce. But even while we are unanimous on Bielsa the coach, the jury is out on his approach to the transfer window. His willingness to stick with the unglamorous, inconsistent, sometimes frustrating individuals in his squad infuriate some, while others praise his refusal to give up on developing players he believes in.

This summer the debate has turned to a more specific issue of positional depth. Namely, that Mateusz Klich and Jamie Shackleton are the only natural central midfielders currently playing for the club. Stuart Dallas performed incredibly last season, but many believe he cannot be seen as a ‘natural’ midfielder. Shackleton is always promising, but can he cover for Klich if a long-term issue forces him out? Are Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts consistent enough in the ‘10’ role to provide offensive protection for the midfield behind them? These are all valid questions in the early days of this season, when teams have been cutting through our midfield like a hot knife through water. And the square root of none of them are answered by Dan James.

If the club has the reported £25m+ to spend on another winger to contend with the already-entrenched Harrison and Raphinha, why is it not being spent on a midfielder, when it’s clearly a position we are struggling with? When players like Conor Gallagher and Teun Koopmeiners have made moves we could have matched financially, it’s confusing to watch the club prioritising a position we are already strong in. While Helder Costa has undoubtedly regressed, the emergence of Crysencio Summerville in the U23s meant there was another option instead of bringing Costa on to do whatever it is that he does, that he’ll now be doing for Valencia anyway. James is obviously a more developed player than Summerville, but is spending a near club-record fee worthwhile when other areas need attention? Or is this simply a result of Bielsa’s fixation on one plan?

But then, Bielsa’s fixation has, on the whole, worked — hasn’t it? There were times in the Championship when Stuart Dallas in the midfield meant ninety minutes of social media posts asking why he wasn’t at left-back. Bamford’s inclusion was berated every time he missed an opportunity. Harrison would have been sent back to actually-Manchester a thousand times in pretty much every game. Now all three are as indispensable as Kalvin Phillips or Raphinha. It seems like Bielsa sticks with plans for a reason.

They haven’t got it right every time, but would it not be fair to suggest that, just maybe, Bielsa and Orta have a plan for sanctioning this kind of financial outlay on Dan James? Yes there are issues with the squad that won’t be directly solved by his arrival, but the squad won’t be weakened by his inclusion on a matchday. James’ pace is a weapon that could be utilised by the blandest of coaches, and his ability to both create and finish chances has been amply demonstrated in his short career. He may have gone off the boil in the past year, but consider who he’s been up against for regular game time, and the country bumpkin who was coaching him. More importantly, for me anyway, James is very clearly someone Bielsa trusts, someone he believes could make a huge impact in his system. You can guarantee he’s kept extremely detailed tabs on him since 2019. Of course the price stings when you consider how it could otherwise have been spent, and every transfer is a risk, but if it works then surely it will be worth it? If it works.

Like everything at Leeds United, it’s a transfer to split opinion. There is potential for Dan James to thrive under Marcelo Bielsa, and an opportunity to prove that Victor Orta’s anger was justified, but his impact will have to be both great and instantaneous to avoid some tough questions about recruitment in other areas.

No pressure, kid. And ignore all those songs we sang about you. We didn’t mean it.