Mighty Leeds Weblog

LATE WINNER Written by Steven York Kemar Roofe was quite a big deal for Leeds United, because he joined at a time when we weren’t exactly known for trying to buy for the future. It might be normal for us now to bring in the likes of Sam Greenwood, Joffey Gelhardt and Crysencio Summerville, hoping they can make an impact in coming years, but Leeds used to think one season at a time. If a player couldn’t make an immediate impact, why bother? Roofe had just won League Two Player of the Year after scoring an impressive 26 goals, helping Oxford earn promotion to League One. There would have to be an adjustment period, but we were hoping he’d build on his early successes and adapt quickly. I won’t replay his time at Leeds, nor the events leading up to his departure. Roofe decided to move on and sign for Anderlecht in August 2019, for a fee reported around £7m. He scored seven goals in sixteen appearances for Anderlecht, a pretty decent return, but continued to struggle with injuries,...

Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa believes Jack Harrison's dip in form is something all players go through. By Joe Urquhart The 24-year-old wide man impressed in his debut Premier League campaign with the Whites last year, bagging eight goals and eight assists in the top flight. He is yet, though, to find the back of the net or notch an assist this term in league action across seven games for Leeds. The summer arrival of Dan James and the form of fellow winger Raphinha along with the emergence of Crysencio Summerville has put Harrison's starting spot under increased pressure. Bielsa - who takes his side to face Norwich City on Sunday afternoon searching for a second league win of the season - discussed Harrison's start to the campaign in his pre-match press conference. "You ask me a question where you know that I can't praise his performances up until now," Bielsa said ahead of this weekend's trip to Carrow Road. "But what's hap...

Leeds United goalkeeper Dani van den Heuvel has signed a new contract tying him to the Elland Road club for another three years. By Stuart Rayner The Whites signed the now-18-year-old from Ajax in the summer of 2020 and he was a regular in their under-18s side during his debut season. Since their academy gained "category one" status in 2019, making it easier to sign top young players, Leeds have accumulated some top under-23 talent at Thorp Arch. Three of the signings made since - winger Crysencio Summerville, forward Joe Gelhardt and right-back Cody Drameh - have made seniors debuts this season.

Crysencio Summerville has detailed his first steps into Premier League football under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United. By Joe Urquhart The 20-year-old wide man joined the Whites in the 2020 summer transfer window from Dutch side Feyenoord and has impressed in a little over 12 months at the club. Summerville was tasked with taking his first steps in England among the Whites development side but has now broken into Bielsa's senior squad, becoming a regular name on the teamsheet on matchdays. He was handed his debut at Newcastle United last month from the bench before making his first start against Fulham in the League Cup. Summerville has been a consistent high performer in the Under-23s ranks and last week's substitute appearance against Wolves showed a glimpse of what he can bring to the top flight. “There really is a plan with the young guys,” Summerville told Dutch outlet AD Sportwereld. "I started in the Under-23 team. Then comes the B-team, which can mainl...

Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa spoke exclusively to Sky Sports about overcoming the challenges of this season and why he believes improved results are just around the corner. Ben Grounds Tuesday's 2-0 away Carabao Cup defeat to Arsenal means the Yorkshire club still only have two wins inside 90 minutes this season in any competition - against League One Crewe and Watford, both at Elland Road. Marcelo Bielsa has spoken before of bad moments being the making of a manager. This is a sticky patch but with lowly Norwich next up, live on Sky Sports, this is an opportune moment to get the Whites firing again. "As a manager you're always obliged to win football matches, and right now we aren't," Bielsa exclusively tells Sky Sports. "In this league, with this club and this institution, the pressure is always there. "I'm always looking at the table, analysing the position and the performances after every game has finished. There is still three quarters...

Stuart Dallas has been playing through the emotional pain barrier for Leeds United because in this game the show must go on, and that’s a problem. By Graham Smyth It’s not a problem of Leeds’ creation, nor one of Dallas’ creation and perhaps it’s not even a major problem for him but certainly some of the language used around his situation suggests football does have a problem. At Leeds, Dallas has often been cited as one of those willing to strap himself up and get out on the pitch, no matter what. He gets on with it. When he limped out of the game before the October international break he still reported for Northern Ireland duty a couple of days later and that came as no surprise whatsoever. He gives his all, does his best every time for club or country and puts side before self. None of those things could ever be disputed, not with the career he’s managed to carve out and the positions of leadership he holds within the Leeds and Northern Ireland dressing rooms. Not only that,...

Leeds United full-back Cody Drameh announced himself to the wider world with two crunching tackles at Arsenal on Tuesday night. By Joe Urquhart The first, a perfectly-timed swipe of the ball from Gabriel Martinelli’s feet at the Emirates, was followed swiftly by a 50-50 slide challenge against the onrushing Ainsley Maitland-Niles just a few seconds later. Drameh, on full debut, was met with cheers and it was a signal he meant business. His evening in the capital improved from there. Regular watchers of the club’s Under-23s side will be well versed in the 19-year-old’s abilities – a strong one-on-one defender with a keen eye for utilising his pace down the attacking flank. Marcelo Bielsa described Drameh as being in his “best moment” this week since joining the club from Fulham around 18 months ago. The right-back earned a starting berth in the League Cup tie against the Gunners through perseverance and circumstance but, for many, it was the chance he deserved after his stel...

Marcelo Bielsa is expecting to face a more determined Norwich City side on Sunday, but says he will treat them the same as any other Premier League opponent. By Stuart Rayner The Canaries suffered a 7-0 defeat at Chelsea last week which their sporting director described as "disgraceful". It cemented their place at the bottom of the Premier League with two points from nine games. Leeds, though, are in a far from comfortable position either, just one place above the relegation zone and without key players Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford through injury, so they cannot afford to take any opponent lightly. "When teams lose so heavily they multiply the effort so a similar defeat doesn't happen in their next game," warned coach Bielsa. "Those evaluations are not necessary because every game in itself is difficult due to everything that's in play and because our own reality obliges us more than ever, independent of how the opponent feels. "Any ot...

Adam Pope, BBC Radio Leeds Leeds United's Stuart Dallas says he has had a challenging couple of months, telling BBC Radio Leeds: "I lost one of my closest friends back in the September international break and I had Covid as well. It's been a difficult time. "I think that has impacted me a lot", said the Northern Ireland international. "Thankfully I have a good family with my wife and kids around me, good team-mates and a good club to help me through these challenging times. I think it's all part and parcel of life and I've got to crack on and get on with it." Dallas, who is the player with the most appearances (240) in the current Whites squad, also revealed: " It's tough, I'm not going to lie, but these things either make or break you. "Of course it has affected me because in football when something like that happens you don't get time to grieve. You've got to crack on. We're here to do a job. I represent a...

Leeds United sent young winger Ian Poveda on loan to Tony Mowbray's Blackburn Rovers at the beginning of the 2021/22 season Under Marcelo Bielsa's regime at Leeds United, players who leave on loan are more often than not saying a soft goodbye. To date, no outgoing loanee has made a successful return to Bielsa's first-team squad, shoehorning their way back into the Argentine's thinking. In fact, the last Leeds United player to successfully reintegrate themselves following a loan elsewhere predates Bielsa. Mateusz Klich's spell in the Netherlands with FC Utrecht in the months prior to Bielsa's arrival proved to be the most recent example. This season, Kiko Casilla and Leif Davis have both left on loan, with options to make those moves permanent included in their agreements with Elche and AFC Bournemouth, respectively. Meanwhile last year, Robbie Gotts spent time with Lincoln City and Salford City before being shown the door for good a few months ago. ...

Patrick Bamford says he is buzzing about the prospect of lining up alongside Leeds United's Spanish international forward Rodrigo after the record signing's latest display. By Lee Sobot Whites no 9 Bamford is continuing to recover from an ankle injury and missed his fourth Premier League game in succession as Marcelo Bielsa's Whites took on Wolves at Elland Road last weekend. One week after a hugely disappointing 1-0 loss at Southampton, fourth-bottom Leeds were on course to suffer a second consecutive defeat after Hwang Hee-Chan's strike in the tenth minute put the Molineux outfit 1-0 in front. Leeds, though, gradually began to create decent chances in front of a noisy home crowd, record signing Rodrigo and 19-year-old striker Joe Gelhardt particularly excelling as United fought back to bag a 1-1 draw. Gelhardt was brought off the bench for his Elland Road debut in the 62nd minute and combined to particularly great effect with Rodrigo, the teenager capping a ...

Former Leeds United defender Tony Dorigo believes Joe Gelhardt will go a ‘hell of a long way’ but cautions against expecting consistency from the teenager just yet. By Graham Smyth Four first-team appearances and a dramatic impact in the game against Wolves at Elland Road have taken simmering excitement levels over the youngster’s potential to boiling point. Dorigo commentated on Saturday’s game for LUTV, when Gelhardt came off the bench and caused serious problems for Bruno Lage’s men, forcing a fine save from Jose Sa, winning a penalty that Rodrigo converted and very nearly winning three points for the Whites with the final effort in stoppage time. Gelhardt wasn’t the only one to catch Dorigo’s eye, however. “When it comes to assessing Gelhardt and Crysencio Summerville, it’s interesting because I was at the under-23s game in pre-season at Fleetwood and Gelhardt didn’t play but, of all the other players, for me, Summerville was the one that stood out,” he said. “He has go...

Leeds United's Carabao Cup progress was halted by Arsenal in the fourth round at The Emirates in deflating fashion but there were positives to take from it for Marcelo Bielsa. By Graham Smyth He handed a debut to a 19-year-old defender and was not made to rue the decision and the first half at least was highly competitive before it all went wrong after the break. Here's the YEP take on a disappointing evening in the capital. Cody Drameh As first team debuts go, Arsenal away is not the easiest by a long stretch but the right-back did very well. Put in three or four big tackles, showed his one v one defending ability albeit without being completely dominant. On the ball he was tidy, played some nice passes and got forward to support attacks. The youngster continues to look the part. Diego Llorente The defender has put together a run of four starts now, which is good news for him and Leeds. Against Arsenal he looked strong, defensively, but it was his passing that sh...

Three games does not a cup run make, but for Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa the fourth round of the Carabao Cup represented unbroken ground. By Graham Smyth Never before in his tenure have the Whites progressed as far in any cup competition but the journey ended at the Emirates, with a 2-0 defeat. A first half that bore real promise gave way to a second half and an exit that was more whimper than it was bang. The draw could have been a lot kinder than a trip to Arsenal but after an improved display against Wolves on Saturday, there was a reasonable amount of hope and expectation surrounding Leeds. Their hosts went into the game unbeaten since August, but 10th in the table with their fanbase expecting much, much more of the ownership, management and team. With a good start, a fair wind and maybe even an opening goal, Leeds could seek to make life difficult for Mikel Arteta and turn the Emirates expectation into frustration. For the Whites, the importance of managing expec...

 Cody Drameh spoke to LUTV after making his Leeds United first-team debut in the Carabao Cup. The defender started and finished the match away at Arsenal and was pleased to play in the match, but also disappointed to have lost the cup tie. “It is bitter-sweet,” Drameh explained, after the match. “I am happy to make my first team debut, but we didn’t get the result and we got knocked out of the cup. “So, it is disappointing, but I am happy to have made my debut. “I have got to keep working hard in training, keep pushing myself and showing the manager I am ready.” Drameh was asked how he found facing the Gunners and his overall thoughts on the match itself. He said: “At some stages it was a bit tough. “At the start of the game there was maybe a bit of nerves, but I grew into it as the game went on. “I think we could have got one or two goals in the first half if we had taken our chances, it was just a bit unfortunate. “In the second half they got the two goals and...

Marcelo Bielsa has given his thoughts to the media after the Whites were knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the Emirates Stadium. Speaking after the match, the Leeds United head coach summarised the tie. He said: “Clearly the differences between what happened in the first half and the second half were produced after the goal. “We conceded a goal, and the goal we conceded was at the start of the second half. After that, the game wasn’t the same. “When they scored they feel they can attack less and that allows them to defend better. "In the first half, they were forced to attack but we defended well and when we recovered it we played forward well. “After a disadvantage that happened really quickly we had to defend less and attack more. “When they stopped attacking and they decided to defend more it was difficult for us to take the ball into the opponents half. “For me, it was a big hope to evolve in this competition. Within that, competing in this is attractive. “To...

Nick Ames at the Emirates Stadium When Mikel Arteta scanned a well-stocked substitutes’ bench for potential matchwinners, Calum Chambers’ face would not have leapt out. So it was a turnup for the books that his defender, who had not kicked a competitive ball in anger for two months and has barely appeared in a matchday squad since, breached Leeds within seconds of coming on and sparked an ultimately straightforward win. Chambers just about beat Illan Meslier with his first touch and Arsenal’s progression to the quarter-finals was in little doubt thereafter. Chambers had only been deployed because Ben White felt unable to continue after feeling unwell. His intervention was the cue for Arsenal to take complete control of a previously sterile game and their second goal was a reminder of another talent whose career sits at a crossroads. Eddie Nketiah’s only previous football this season had come in the third round of this competition, against AFC Wimbledon; he scored in that game and s...

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says Eddie Nketiah has a future at the club after he scored to help the Gunners see off Leeds United and reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Substitute Calum Chambers' header crept over the line seconds of coming off the bench, before former Leeds loanee Nketiah pounced to wrap up the tie. The forward cleverly flicked the ball over a stranded Illan Meslier and just did enough to nudge it over the line before the visiting keeper could recover. "I have full belief that he is going to be a top, top player and hopefully at Arsenal," said Arteta, who has helped develop a number of young Arsenal players, including Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka. "I'm happy to have him, he is our player, I regard him really highly and from my side I want him to stay." Leeds had looked the more threatening side until the first goal in an open and entertaining game against a much-changed Arsenal side at Emirates Stadium. But Arteta's outf...

 

Leeds United's Carabao Cup run is over for another year after a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal in a real game of two halves at the Emirates. By Lee Sobot Leeds impressed in the first half but substitute Calum Chambers put Arsenal ahead with a header from a corner in the 55th minute, netting with his first touch of the game and 23 seconds after his introduction for the injured Ben White. After a header from captain Liam Cooper to Illan Meslier fell short, former Whites loanee Eddie Nketiah then doubled Arsenal's lead in the 69th minute and more or less ended the contest there and then. Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa made four changes to his side but named a strong team that featured England international midfielder Kalvin Phillips on his return from injury. England youth international Cody Drameh was also handed his Whites debut to face a Gunners side that featured two very familiar faces in former Whites loanees Nketiah and White. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made nine change...