Mighty Leeds Weblog

Who could be heading towards the exit at Leeds? And what are the areas in need of strengthening? Analysis, insight and opinion on what the Whites need to do in the transfer market this summer... Which positions are Leeds targeting in the summer transfer window? What has Jesse Marsch said? And what do the stats say? Which positions are Leeds targeting? Sky Sports News senior reporter Tim Thornton: The biggest question is whether or not they will be able to keep hold of Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips. Phillips has made it clear that he wants to stay but it will depend on who comes in for him. Leeds do not need to sell and would only do business if the deal was right for the club. Obviously, Barcelona have been heavily linked with Raphinha. Deco is his agent and has strong ties with Barcelona. It is whether Barcelona can afford him. Those two staying will be key to everything. Brenden Aaronson has already signed but will probably play more as an inverted winger so central midfie...

Liverpool could find themselves in the market for a speedy, versatile attacker this summer if Sadio Mane moves on from Anfield By Joe Donnohue Leeds United supporters' greatest fear this summer will be losing Raphinha and struggling to replace the Brazilian international's influence at Elland Road. The Whites are braced for concrete interest and bids from several clubs, with La Liga giants Barcelona supposedly at the front of the queue for the 25-year-old's signature. That is, if funds can be raised by the Catalan club to prise Raphinha out of his Leeds contract which runs for another two seasons. As United stayed up on the final day, the board are poised to be a little sterner in negotiations, knowing they are capable of commanding a significantly higher transfer fee as a Premier League outfit. However, even if Barcelona cannot afford the World Cup hopeful, it is entirely possible another elite side will move for Raphinha in the next few months. The right-sid...

"I'm sitting there sweating and pacing around the cafe," he said of the May 22 match. "And, yeah, it was tough to watch, but they got the job done. ... And the next day I was there." Aaronson's contract was announced Friday, a five-year deal for the 21-year-old from Medford, New Jersey. He joined Red Bull Salzburg from Major League Soccer´s Philadelphia Union in January 2021 when Jesse Marsch was coach of the Austrian team, and he reunites with Marsch at Leeds. Aaronson had six goals and 10 assists in 41 matches in all competitions last season as Salzburg won its ninth straight league title and fourth consecutive Austrian Cup. He has five goals in 18 international appearances and is on the U.S. roster for four World Cup prep matches next month. "I got a little, I guess, definition about the player that Leeds want, and I think I fit that," he said. "They celebrate a tackle like a goal. And I'm going to be that guy that's not only ...

Leeds United links to Lewis O'Brien have re-emerged after the Huddersfield Town midfielder impressed in the Championship this season. By Flora Snelson After the Whites came close to closing a deal for O'Brien last summer, Leeds' chances of Town accepting a fresh bid for the talented player were set to be upset by the South Yorkshire side's promotion bid. But with the Terriers falling six points shy of an automatic promotion spot and falling to a 1-0 defeat in the Championship Play-Off final to Nottingham Forest, United will find it much easier to prise O'Brien from the second-tier club should they choose to continue their pursuit. Who is he? Born in Colchester, O'Brien began his football career at the Huddersfield Town Academy where he has played ever since, though he earned 40 appearances on loan at Bradford City in the 2018/2019 season. Where does he play? A versatile midfielder by trade, O'Brien best suits a number eight role but can also pl...

With Premier League safety secured, Leeds United can finally reflect on Marcelo Bielsa's tenure with a glint in their eye By Graham Smyth It seemed beyond the comprehension of certain pundits and journalists why Marcelo Bielsa wasn’t ‘under pressure’ at Leeds United until the very end. They didn’t get why he spoke in Spanish and used a member of his staff as a translator. They didn’t get why, in his first season in the Premier League, there was no outrage from Whites fans after heavy defeats and why there was no ‘plan B’ to speak of. They didn’t get him. But Leeds fans did. It is a hard thing to understand and articulate, especially if you don’t share the love that he and the supporters had for Leeds United and each other. He was the man who gave them something to be proud of, football to salivate over and a promotion to write in big, bold lettering in the history books. He was the man who took mid-table Championship players and transformed them to such an extent that t...

Leeds United played out a season packed with joyous moments but one which nobody wants to remember By Graham Smyth A season to forget came to an end in an unforgettable fashion for Leeds United. It did not meet expectation, although it did so nearly realise fears, and it did not make for an enjoyable time for anyone involved yet the 2021/22 campaign did deliver moments. There were few occasions when performances were so complete that they bred confidence, it just wasn’t that kind of season from start to finish. Scanning through the results to jog memories of good days at the office only brings one or two games to the surface, like Leicester City at home when Adam Forshaw came roaring back to significance after 85 Championship and Premier League games outside the starting XI. Leeds were quite good that day and the entertainment wasn’t bad either, with chances for each side and a Raphinha free-kick that was matched, if not bettered, by Harvey Barnes’ sublime strike. They were...

GOING TO THE DOGS Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman I have not felt the need to put ‘Widow of Bielsa’ in my Twitter profile because that sadness is engraved upon my heart. I first heard the term when I asked Chilean poet Felipe Cussen what life is like when Marcelo Bielsa stops managing your team, and that was October 2018. We’d had about two months of Bielsa’s football and I was already obsessed by the dread of being without him. Since he was sacked by Leeds United, this February, it has been as difficult to find beauty in life as I feared it would be. If Bielsa does want to make it easier for Leeds fans to get over him, though, he’s going the right way about it. Speaking to the BBC before Sunday’s Champo play-off final against Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield Town manager Carlos Corberan, our old Under-23s coach, says he’s getting regular advice and support from El Loco: “I have spoken to him a lot, we spoke in the last week, we spent a good time talking,” Corberan, 39, ...

Leeds United have sealed the permanent addition of USMNT international Brenden Aaronson on a five-year deal By Joe Donnohue Leeds United's summer transfer business has been conducted without delay this year with the Whites wasting no time in confirming their first addition. Attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson signed in a £25 million deal from Austrian side FC Red Bull Salzburg and will join up with the squad for pre-season in a month's time when the move is officially ratified on July 1. The American arrives with a reputation for hard work off the ball, creativity on it and as one of the United States' most revered attacking players. The 21-year-old arrived in Europe from Philadelphia Union in January 2021 but quickly made a positive impression in continental competition such as the Europa League and Champions League with Salzburg. In joining Leeds this week, Aaronson becomes the second-most expensive American in history, behind only Chelsea's Christian Pu...

Whites confirm first move of summer transfer window. Leeds United are delighted to announce an agreement with Red Bull Salzburg for the transfer of Brenden Aaronson, which will be completed on July 1st 2022. The 21-year-old will join for an undisclosed fee on a five-year-contract, running until the summer of 2027. Aaronson made 41 appearances in all competitions for Salzburg last season, providing 10 assists and scoring six goals, helping the club win the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup for the second season in succession. A United States international, the attacking midfielder has won 18 caps for his country, scoring five goals, recently helping them secure qualification for the FIFA 2022 World Cup. Coming through the ranks with Philadelphia Union, Aaronson made a goalscoring MLS debut in March 2019, netting in their 1-1 draw with Atlanta United. He then went onto establish himself in the side on a regular basis, making a further 29 appearances during 2019 and was han...

Brenden Aaronson was pacing up and down in a Vienna cafe when Leeds United sealed the win that, in turn, sealed his move to Elland Road. By Graham Smyth The midfielder, a £25m signing from RB Salzburg, flew into Manchester on Wednesday night and will fly out of England again tomorrow morning in a whistle-stop tour of his new home. Today was Leeds’ window of opportunity to get the deal over the line before the 21-year-old joins up with the United States men’s national team for a quartet of international games starting next week. Aaronson was up and about early, reporting to LivingCare in Leeds at 7am before completing the rest of his medical at Thorp Arch and then arriving at the stadium he hopes to grace with goals and assists in the Premier League next season. “Sounds kind of cliche, but it’s beautiful and it’s old – it’s amazing,” he told the YEP after signing a five-year deal. “Listen, I’m from America, so the culture of how far it goes back isn’t that far but you’re com...

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch hopes to take full advantage of the benefits his unexpected February arrival has given him. By Flora Snelson As first days at work go, Marsch's arrival at Elland Road was up there with the most challenging - from the relative comfort of life out-of-contract, the American was suddenly required to convince a grief-stricken fanbase that he could whip a group of shell-shocked players into good-enough shape to come out of a relegation battle unscathed. Though Marsch was a likely summer successor, the landscape of the club when he was drafted in as a matter of urgency following Marcelo Bielsa's sacking in February was entirely different from the one he might have imagined walking into at the conclusion of the 2021/2022 season. Leeds were clinging to a narrow two-point cushion above the drop zone, and the five calamitous matches which forced Bielsa's departure had shrunk the Whites' goal difference from -11 to -31. Below them, relegation ...

It’s quicker to list what Leeds United don’t need in the summer transfer window, than the alternative. By Graham Smyth Centre-backs, if you’re asking, are probably the one and only thing that Jesse Marsch and Victor Orta need not worry about, with Liam Cooper, Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk, Charlie Cresswell, Diego Llorente and Leo Hjelde all on board. Whether the six will be present and correct come the start of next season is, of course, another matter. Cooper again proved his importance to Leeds in the crucial final weeks of the season and, as club captain, is going nowhere. Koch will likely hanker after a return to his most natural position, after doing a job in midfield and at right-back, and deserves a run of games there. Struijk didn’t have the best season - who at Leeds did? - but, at 22, retains enormous potential and now has a relative wealth of top-flight experience to call upon. Both Cresswell and Hjelde are prospects who could have big futures, if they get game ti...

Brenden Aaronson is expected to secure his move to Leeds United this week, with a deal in the region of £26m progressing quickly towards completion. By Graham Smyth The midfielder is set to join up with the United States men's national team next week for a quartet of international fixtures, including a pair of CONCACAF Nations League games, but before then there is a small window of opportunity in which Leeds can finalise the signing. RB Salzburg refused to sell the 21-year-old in the January window, despite a pair of bids from Leeds - the second of which was around £20m. The Austrian champions prioritised Aaronson's involvement in their historic Champions League round of 16 clash with Bayern Munich, which they lost 8-2 on aggregate, and their ultimately successful attempt to retain their league and domestic cup titles for the fourth successive season. Although their January attempts to bring Aaronson to Elland Road were rebuffed, the Whites were confident they could ge...

Jesse Marsch says there is a huge amount of work to do to move Leeds United towards the ‘big future’ he sees. By Graham Smyth But the head coach believes the club already has people in place who can help unlock Elland Road’s potential. Marsch was due to meet with Victor Orta on Tuesday for discussions on the summer recruitment and squad building for the 2022/23 Premier League season. That, and some respite from the tension and pressure of a relegation battle the Whites ultimately won, were on his agenda this week ahead of a summer that will, inevitably, bring change. “We all need to take a little break; we’ve earned it,” he said. “It’s been a stressful time but we’re going to have a meeting in the next couple of days and we’re going to talk about how to build this roster and continue to build this club in a way that we want to represent moving forward. “I think there’s still so much potential and teams always change, that’s a fact, but from the academy all the way up, we ne...

The margins have rarely been finer than the two-goal swing that would have left Leeds United in the depths of despair, instead of the post-survival high at Brentford on Sunday. By Graham Smyth Burnley came within a whisker of one of those goals, Wout Weghorst missing a chance to equalise against Newcastle United only by the length of his studs. It doesn’t bear thinking about the impact the 6ft 4ins targetman could have made on an already nerve-shredding afternoon had he made a slightly heavier connection with Ashley Barnes’ cross. Leeds United came closer to the brink than anyone expected this season and, if you needed evidence of just how relieved they were, it was there in Andrea Radrizzani’s sprint across the pitch to join the celebrations, or Victor Orta sinking to his knees to embrace Raphinha. It’s difficult to picture many Premier League owners racing the breadth of a stadium in honour of finishing 17th but no matter how bomb-proof Leeds felt thanks to their contracted w...

DIRTY NORTHERN BAST... Written by: Rob Conlon Because he signed from Arsenal, I always make the mistake of assuming Sam Greenwood is from the south of England. But when he joined Leeds, Greenwood told LUTV: “I started at Sunderland, got the move to Arsenal and now I’ve come here I feel like I relate to these people. Obviously Sunderland is a working class area, similar to Leeds, and I think I’ll fit into this kind of environment perfectly. It feels nice to be up north.” Jermaine Beckford picked up on Greenwood’s comments about relating to the supporters when the latter appeared on the club’s official podcast in April, giving him some advice from a former Leeds striker to a burgeoning Leeds striker. “Trust me, enjoy that,” Beckford said. “Nurture it, and figure out how to make that work best for you, because once you’ve done that the sky is the limit bro.” Maybe those words were on Greenwood’s mind after he sprinted from the dugout to the Leeds away end to join the limbs after J...

Robin Koch has provided his response to those who thought Leeds United were going down - and those who wished the Whites would sink back to Championship football. By Lee Sobot Leeds approached Sunday's final game of the season at Brentford with their survival destiny out of their own hands and needing a favour from Newcastle United at Burnley in order to have any chance of recording a better result than the Clarets. The Whites and Burnley began the final day level on points but United's far inferior goal difference had Jesse Marsch's side in the drop zone and needing to out-point the Clarets to stay up. Leeds were consequently 2-5 to be relegated but United pulled off a great escape by recording a 2-1 win at Brentford as Burnley lost by the same score against the Magpies at Turf Moor. Asked if he felt before the game that he felt a lot of people had decided Leeds were going down, Koch smiled: "Maybe some wished that we go down! "But all the team and al...

Leeds narrowly beat the drop and now must strengthen over the summer and back manager Jesse Marsch in the transfer window or risk struggling again next season Richard Jolly The first rule of relegation battles is not to invoke Mahatma Gandhi. The second is not to quote Mother Teresa. Jesse Marsch broke both and got away with it. The more meaningful element is that, while the Leeds manager invited mockery by revealing he draws inspiration from iconic figures, he did the short-term task required. His return of 15 points from 12 games was more than respectable, especially as the American took over a team who had lost their previous four games by an aggregate score of 17-2. Marcelo Bielsa’s legacy was admirable in many respects but he contrived to ruin Leeds’ goal difference so Marsch’s job entailed getting an extra point to compensate. Three at Brentford on Sunday sufficed. Leeds’ season had seemed laced with tragicomic moments. There was the time they accidentally substituted Luke ...