Leeds United's farewell to 2022 shows the struggle of the have-nots as important January transfer window looms - Yorkshire Post 30/12/22


If ever there was a week to remind Leeds United that when it comes to Premier League football, they are one of the have-nots, the last one of 2022 is it.

By Stuart Rayner

Fresh from an Elland Road mauling by Manchester City, the Whites end the year with a daunting trip to Newcastle United.

Since being bought by Abu Dhabi United in 2008, City have been English football's biggest financial heavyweights but now the Saudi Public Investment Fund owns Newcastle, that status is under threat.

Leeds, by comparison, are also-rans, having been out of the Premier League picture for 16 years where bank balances overflowed and financial fair play rules tried to pull up the drawbridge to sugar-daddies arriving at the wrong time.

That £18m Rio Ferdinand was the club's record signing for 18 years until the disastrous acquisition of Jean-Kevin Augustin in 2020, speaks volumes.

It matters because in the Premier League more than any other English division, finances dictate finishes, and Leeds are about to enter a transfer window where shrewd investment could seriously improve their chances of avoiding relegation.

Having only escaped it on the final day of last season, Leeds go into Saturday's game at St James' Park just two points above the relegation zone with a game in hand at Manchester United.

Since Patrick Bamford injured his ankle on Tyneside in September 2021 – if not before – the Whites have looked a genuine striker light. Left-back cover has been a constant problem back in the top-flight too.

As Stuart Dallas recovers from a broken leg with Junior Firpo's fitful fitness limiting him to one league start in 2022-23, centre-back Pascal Struijk has had to fill in. The division’s fourth-worst goals conceded record would make further defensive reinforcements reassuring.

But Leeds have been unable to throw their weight around in the transfer market, proving much more effective at uncovering cheap future first-teamers than ready-made stars.

There are plans for the investment arm of NFL franchise San Francisco 49ers to buy a majority stake in early 2024, but whilst they hold just 44 per cent, team-building has been modest and plans to expand Elland Road, widening revenue streams, remain that.

"Money is always helpful," concedes Leeds coach Jesse Marsch. "You don't want to slight (Newcastle manager) Eddie Howe because he has done an amazing job but we all know this world of football is different to American sports where we have salary caps and everyone has a chance when the season starts.

"I'm sorry, but the way European football works, that is just not the case so how do you build?

"One is a process and continuing to invest every penny the right way, which we are continuing to do, another one is a massive influx of money. Take Chelsea 25 years ago and Newcastle now, take Man City 15 years ago. It's a difference-maker.

"It's for every phase of what you are doing as a club – manager, players, everything.

"But we like us, we like who we are. We like our identity, the mentality we have created. We are going to keep building in our own way."

Marsch’s immediate job is to make the most of what he has, not worry about what he does not.

Bamford is due back in training on Sunday or Monday after minor groin surgery.

"We know Patrick can score goals in bunches," says Marsch. "He has not been at 100 per cent since I have been here. That being said, he's created a ton of chances and it's unfortunate some of them have not fallen in the way he'd have wanted.

"We're hopeful this diagnosis and surgery can really be a big part of the physical equation and solution for Patrick."

Many fans are not sold on Diego Llorente, who lost his place at centre-back when Liam Cooper's season belatedly got started, but Leeds have handed the Spain international a new contract.

"We think he has quality and centre-backs aren't easy to find, so when you have a good one, you want to keep hold of them," says Marsch.

Even in an era where the only mystery about the end-of-season top seven (a six before Newcastle's takeover early last term) is the order, Marsch refuses to accept cash is the be-all and end-all.

"It's not the only factor," he insists. "I don't look at it as the glass is half empty, but trying to maximise our potential every day.

"I know with the history of this club and what has been achieved here that the expectations are high. Maybe unfairly high, but who cares?

"I have to do the best job I can to help this club and team to be the best they can possibly be.

"Our true competitors are the mid-table, bottom-of-the-table teams and now it's about trying to do better than we have done against them. That's the reality.

"There's the history of the club, infrastructure, player pool and playing style, manager, time – a lot of different factors. But in almost any league around the world the teams at the top are typically the ones who spend the most."

In the long-term, Leeds have to try to buck the trend but now –somewhat depressingly – it is just about being the best of the have-nots.

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