Leeds United January transfer thinking revealed by CEO as window nears final week - YEP 22/1/22
Leeds United believe many January transfer options would not be an improvement on young players already at the club, according to CEO Angus Kinnear.
By Graham Smyth
Writing in his programme notes for today's crucial Elland
Road clash with relegation-threatened Newcastle United, Kinnear said the
addition of players in the transfer window could hamper the development of
players who have recently broken into the first team due to injuries to senior
players.
Joe Gelhardt has made the most noteable first team
breakthrough up front, while both Lewis Bate and Leo Hjelde impressed on their
Premier League debuts at West Ham United last weekend.
"In blooding Lewis Bate and Leo Hjelde, Marcelo
[Bielsa] broke a divisional record by having handed eight teenagers their debut
in a single season," said Kinnear.
"While this has led to some factions understandably
bemoaning a perceived lack of strength in depth in our squad, it promises an
extremely bright future for our great club."
Leeds are attempting to bring in one new player before
January's deadline, however, submitting a second bid of £20m for RB Salzburg
midfielder Brenden Aaronson this week. The YEP understands there is currently
no movement towards a deal and Salzburg are believed to consider the
21-year-old an important part of their bid to maintain domestic dominance while
eyeing an historic Champions League last 16 clash with Bayern Munich. If
Aaronson is not to depart Austria for West Yorkshire in the next nine days, the
Whites could look to make a move in the summer.
Kinnear, meanwhile, concedes that not everyone will agree
with the club's contentment to place faith in youth rather than bolster
Bielsa's squad with expensive signings. He insists there would be downsides to
extensive January recruitment.
"We are confident that we are building a long-term
competitive advantage in the recruitment and development of world-class young
talent," he said.
"Central to this strategy is our ability to promise and
deliver to our young players a fast-track to first team football, as well as a
culture where there is a belief in the process and where the players,
irrespective of age, are trusted to deliver on the Premier League stage.
"This strategy clearly impacts our evaluation of
transfer targets - where our analysis indicates that many January options,
requiring an eight-figure investment, would not be a material improvement on
the current performances of emerging players such as Bate, Hjelde and Joe
Gelhardt. Morever, signing other options would block such youngsters'
development and would offer nowhere near the long-term potential.
Simultaneously, any January activity has an opportunity cost on more optimal
moves in the summer.
"As a board we have always tried to be transparent with
supporters in the belief that it is better if our recruitment strategy is
disagreed with by some fans, rather than misunderstood by many."
