Leeds United manager hunt, incoming owners, transfer chief and star men - good news and bad news - YEP 16/6/23
Leeds United fans have an avalanche of news coming this summer, from the manager to transfers, which gives them plenty to get excited about, or worry about depending on their disposition.
By Graham Smyth
Here’s a look at some of the events that will either leave
Whites smiling or grimacing prior to the 2023/24 Championship season, with a
good news twist for the glass half full and a bad news counter argument for the
glass half empty. Something for everyone.
Willy Gnonto
Good news
Gnonto has no relegation release clause. Where others will
likely walk out the door this summer as soon as their clause is activated by
the requisite offer, Gnonto can only go if Leeds decide their valuation is met.
The idea of tearing the Championship apart might just take his fancy. He would,
you'd think, score and assist a very decent number. A promotion always looks
good on a CV.
Bad news
Gnonto is very good, he made a big impact for one so young
last season and his potential is huge. He's a full Italy international and will
want to remain so. The discourse around others with international aspirations,
see Robin Koch and Rodrigo, suggests a move is vital to achieving them. Serie A
clubs chastened by the fact that they missed the chance to get him early on,
won't want to do so again and will see Leeds' relegation as their big
opportunity to bring him home. That kind of interest, especially if it comes
with Champions League involvement, might be very difficult for Gnonto to turn
down. If his very best pal Crysencio Summerville heads for the exit, that might
not bode so well for Leeds.
Tyler Adams
Good news
Straw clutching time. Adams is a wanted man. 49ers
Enterprises want him and they're very keen to keep him. They know his
importance as a player around whom a promotion-worthy side could be built.
Interest in him is to be expected and a big money move would be no surprise but
might the fact that he's not currently at full fitness play into Leeds' hands?
Adams is expected to be ready for the new season and that could well be enough
for some potential suitors. For others his recent surgery and injury recovery
period might check their desire to spend big on him right now.
Bad news
Like Gnonto, he's very good. He's an established senior
international, a leader for his country and a player who should be playing in
the English top flight, if not one of Europe's other big leagues. If you buy
Adams you don't just get a good defensive midfielder, you get a leader, a big
personality who can impact a dressing room. And if he wants to go, because an
immediate return to the big time is what he's after, there will be lots of
interested parties holding out their arms to welcome him.
Nick Hammond
Good news
Leeds confirmed the appointment on Thursday morning and it
was not before time. The need for an experienced football negotiator and
transfer specialist was great and Hammond appears to fit the bill. His single
transfer window at Newcastle United was exactly what they needed and helped to
transform their fortunes. That kind of transfer window, with specific needs
met, would be a big early plus for 49ers Enterprises.
Bad news
Hammond has just arrived, there is no manager in place yet,
the domestic window is already open and the players return for pre-season
training on July 2. Time is of the essence, he's got a huge to-do list and not
a lot of time in which to complete it. There are complex situations that need
working out, big players to sweet talk into staying and lots of exits to
manage. To win what looks like a typically brutal Championship next season,
Leeds will have to be at it, winning, from the off. They're behind the eight
ball a little, so if it's catch up Hammond is playing he has to play it well.
49ers Enterprises
Good news
The takeover is agreed and that has allowed the group,
spearheaded by Paraag Marathe, to set about the huge amount of work that needs
to be done. Had the ownership uncertainty dragged on much longer, the
consequences for next season could have been dire. From the noises around the
investment vehicle, there will be a good chunk of working capital to put to
good use as they seek to improve and grow the team and the club as an operation
on and off the pitch. There are areas in which their expertise should come in
handy. There are individuals with access to huge amounts of wealth involved. A
full review of the football operation side of the club is a shrewd, vital
starting point. There is reasonable reason for excitement in the fanbase at the
outset of a new era.
Bad news
A deal to take over the club in the event of relegation was
not agreed weeks or months ago, as it might have been had Andrea Radrizzani and
49ers Enterprises both been so minded. The takeover is yet to be fully ratified
and complete, although it is expected to go through. Time is shorter than they
might have liked when it comes to preparations for the upcoming campaign - just
49 days lie between them and a Friday night Championship opener live on TV. You
never get a second chance to make a first impression, as they say, and the
ownership group know there are many decisions that must be nailed in summer
number one. Their sports business acumen is obvious but their football acumen?
Talk of redeveloping Elland Road and boosting its capacity will surely remain just
that until such a time as Premier League status is restored. The jury will be
out for a while yet.
Carlos Corberan
Good news
He knows the club. No not in that cliched, fatuous sense,
but in a very practical sense. A manager coming into the club with little prior
in-depth knowledge of the squad will likely have a more challenging time of it
trying to quickly get to grips with what it needs. The turnaround will be
lightning quick. Corberan knows many in the dressing room and some of the
youngsters from working at Leeds previously. He knows the fanbase and its
expectations and the culture around the club. His other big plus is his
Championship record. What he did at Huddersfield was largely miraculous. His
results at West Brom belied the off-field unhappiness at the club. He worked
with Bielsa and no matter your view on how much that counts, it does seem to
count.
Bad news
There will be sections of the fanbase who are underwhelmed,
so he will have to win them over with results. The demand for immediate promotion
will make patience a scarce commodity. He was popular with many, but not all
players, during his time at Leeds, as is probably the case with most managers.
The Bielsa link will create a certain level of expectation in terms of not only
success but entertainment factor. He's in work, with a long contract thanks, at
least in part, to those links to Leeds during last season, and compensation
will have to be agreed.
Daniel Farke
Good news
Promotions, two of them. He knows what it takes to get out of
the Championship and into the Premier League. Leeds, who will represent so many
teams' cup final, will need to win a tonne of games to get out of the division
and Farke's Norwich did that in the second tier. He represents a safe pair of
hands and few could argue vehemently with his appointment. He's out of work
too, so there will be few complications, if any.
Bad news
Those who wanted Brendan Rodgers or Graham Potter might be a
little underwhelmed and will need to be won over. Promotion was no problem for
him but the Premier League was, albeit with a club that struggles to break out
of the yo-yo mould. Is he a short-term solution to Leeds' most pressing problem
or is he capable of representing a long-term coach who brings stability. Leeds
have had too many coaches and too many voices in too short a period of time.
This appointment needs to stick, really.
Scott Parker
Good news
Promotions, two of them. He won the play-offs with Fulham,
taking them back up at the first time of asking after relegation, so he knows
the scenario Leeds find themselves in. His second promotion, with Bournemouth,
was even better because it came automatically with a second-place finish. Like
Farke, he knows how to get out of the division.
Bad news
Scripted movements. That line, uttered about Bielsa's Leeds
and their attack, did not sit well with Leeds fans, who have longer memories
than elephants. He failed to keep Fulham in the Premier League after promotion
and there was tension with the ownership. The Premier League proved difficult
for him at Bournemouth too, and frustrations over recruitment that he aired in
the media, led to a breakdown in his relationship with the higher ups.