Angus Kinnear on whether Leeds United will make a beat-the-deadline move for a new striker - Yorkshire Post 30/8/22

LEEDS UNITED managing director Angus Kinnear has cast doubt on the club making a beat-the-deadline move for a new striker - and says it would take something 'exceptional' for that to change before Thursday's 11pm deadline.

By Leon Wobschall

Leeds were very active in pre-season, bringing in seven players and spending a combined total of over £90million, while also sanctioning the sales of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha.

The club have made a move to bring in Belgian forward Charles de Ketelaere and were ready to pay a club-record fee, but the player secured his desired move to AC Milan instead.

United have been linked with a host of other strikers, but Kinnear, writing in his programme notes before Tuesday night's Premier League home game with Everton, admits that any big business appears unlikely.

Kinnear said: "This week, we will see the transfer window close and allow us to reflect on how well we have executed our trading strategy.

"Already, we know we have secured 90 per cent of our number one targets which is an impressive strike rate.

"We have also succeeded in our primary aim of getting the business done early to allow Jesse (Marsch) to integrate the players into the squad in pre-season, which we believed was particularly critical this year as the whole squad had to embrace a new tactical philosophy.

"The rewards of this approach have ben clearly evidenced in our first four games and the players should be applauded for the remarkable speed of adaptation.

"The strategy was all facilitated by managing to optimise the timing and economics of our two reluctant, but inevitable, departures.

"Simultaneously, we have rebuffed numerous offers for players that are still core to our playing strategy, including one that based in its value, was only for Jack Harrison's right leg."

Kinnear has also defended the fact that no headline striking recruit has come in yet and explained as to why, with some supporters having voiced their concern at the lack of a marquee striking arrival at Elland Road so far during the summer, with the clock ticking before the end of the window.

He continued: "Some supporters have doubted the level of the investment we have made, but the fair way to judge net spend is across the whole of our Premier League tenure and not just one window.

"For completeness, it needs to be combined with viewing it through the lens of a huge additional commitment in wages.

"Whether there is any more activity remains to be seen and I know supporters are perplexed that, after demonstrating we have the means and will to make one record breaking offer for a striker, we have not secured a player in that position.

"The rationale is straightforward: we believe we have three striking options that are better than the majority of our peers (two proven international number nines and a player widely regarded as the best emerging young striking talent in the league) and will only supplement this with an exceptional addition rather than just a warm body.

"There is a huge opportunity cost to getting a major player investment wrong and despite the frustration among the fanbase, we will not compromise the longer-term trajectory of the club by making poor or high-risk investments."