Mighty Leeds Weblog

BY CHRIS GALLAGHER Leeds United will pay up to £6m to sign Ilia Gruev from Werder Bremen. Gruev has made over 50 appearances for Werder Bremen and has experience in the Bundesliga, making him a valuable signing for Leeds United. Leeds United is set to pay up to £6m for Gruev, and the transfer is at an advanced stage, with the player keen on making the move.   Signing Gruev fills a position of need for Leeds and adds technical ability to their midfield, which is expected to have a positive impact on the team. Leeds United are set to sign Ilia Gruev from Werder Bremen in a deal that could be worth up to £6m. Who is Ilia Gruev? The 23-year-old is a name that many fans won’t recognise, as he has spent his entire career in Germany, but he would arrive at Elland Road with good pedigree. Iliev has made over 50 appearances for Bremen, which includes helping the side to the Bundesliga and playing 31 times as they stayed in the top-flight last time out. He has been in the matchda

Jamie Shackleton had a sliding doors moment this summer when just about nothing appeared to be nailed down at Leeds United. By Graham Smyth Contracted players were sounded out about their future as Daniel Farke was being recruited and though many wanted out from the start and some would not make their real intentions known until moves came about, Shackleton's plan was clear - report for pre-season, impress Farke and play for Leeds. A Leeds boy and a Leeds fan, Shackleton went away last season for a Millwall loan spell that could best be described as mixed and though clubs might have been taking a look this summer, was any offer going to be realistically better than staying at Elland Road? Still only 23, Shackleton has already played a part in getting his boyhood club out of the Championship and knows that doing so again would reap even greater memories, given the presence of his fellow Whites in the stands. Pre-season is when a player like Shackleton can lay the groundwork

By James Murray Leeds United are set to sanction the loan move of midfielder Sam Greenwood to Middlesbrough, according to Mike McGrath. The Telegraph journalist tweeted on 30 August that the 21-year-old has passed his medical ahead of completing his switch to Teesside. He said the terms of the deal with the Whites’ Championship rivals are still to be agreed, but it is likely to be on a temporary basis as the club hold him in high regard, with the midfielder set to become the eighth player to head out of Elland Road on loan this summer. It’s clear that Leeds still believe that Greenwood does have a future in West Yorkshire as they are only willing to allow him to leave temporarily. The attacking midfielder will join the long list of players to depart the club on loan after Robin Koch, Max Wober, Brenden Aaronson, Jack Harrison, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca and Sonny Perkins have all left Elland Road. But the majority of them had a clause in their contracts that allowed them

Leeds United’s Sam Greenwood is set to join Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough side on a season-long loan deal. By Joe Donnohue The former Sunderland and Arsenal youngster will join up with Carrick’s squad, returning to his north east roots for the 2023/24 campaign. Greenwood featured for the only the second time this season in the Carabao Cup Second Round defeat to Salford City on Tuesday night, striking the crossbar with a free-kick during stoppage time at the end of the second half. The 21-year-old also converted his spot-kick during the resulting penalty shoot-out but saw Leeds bow out of the competition. Greenwood has found regular minutes hard to come by at Elland Road amidst a raft of managerial and coaching staff changes during his three-year stay in Yorkshire. He arrived from Arsenal as a versatile forward player, often leading the line for England’s youth teams whilst also playing off the right in support of Folarin Balogun for the Gunners’ Under-23 side. At Leeds,

It's in with the new but not out with the old at Leeds United. By Graham Smyth The arrivals of Joel Piroe and Djed Spence have ticked two important boxes for Daniel Farke in this transfer window. A goalscoring centre forward was at the top of just about everyone's list when the squad building conversation kicked off this summer. The Whites left it late, knowing that Piroe's contract situation would eventually bring Swansea City to the table and if there's an argument against his signing then it's yet to reveal itself. Spence or even any right-back who signed at all, was always going to be more of a surprise because in terms of priorities or urgent need, that didn't feel so pressing. A striker, central midfielders, a 10, a left-back, an experienced goalkeeper, a right sided centre-back - these were the crucial bits of business to be done and some remain so. At right-back Luke Ayling and Cody Drameh appeared to represent as good a pairing as Leeds would ne

Daniel Farke’s transfer priority of strengthening his central midfield options has made Bundesliga man Ilia Gruev a possible deadline week addition. By Graham Smyth Daniel Farke’s transfer priority of strengthening his central midfield options has made Bundesliga man Ilia Gruev a possible deadline week addition. The interest in Gruev, as reported by ITV, has been driven by Farke and his admiration of the Bulgarian international. Farke is determined to ensure he comes out of the summer window with sufficient cover for his current first-choice midfield pair Ethan Ampadu and Archie Gray. Ampadu, a £7m signing from Chelsea, is expected to be among the best midfielders in the Championship this season and 17-year-old Gray has impressed with his comfortable start to life in senior football. The duo have had to play a lot of football already, with Farke light on genuine starting options in that position, and the manager made it clear earlier in the summer that Leeds could not rely simply

SCORE Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman I didn’t want to place all our hopes on Joel Piroe’s shoulders, but it looks like Leeds United need him more than we realised, and boy were we realising. Fortunately, from his performance at Portman Road to his strong, silent demeanour, Piroe looks like he can take it. I’ve not heard him speak since he signed for Leeds, and I’m happy in my imagination where his only vocabulary is ‘goals’ and ‘score’ and ‘target’ and ‘hit’, words his new teammates seem sorrowfully unfamiliar with. I’ve only ever been half joking whenever I’ve suggested over the years that Leeds should buy Mathieu Smith back, and this Carabao Cup match at Salford City demonstrated the serious half: Smith scores goals. The stats from this game are basically a meme, because Leeds had 33 shots – nine on target – to Salford’s five with two on target, yet both teams scored the same – one – and Salford won on pens. The goal Smith scored for Salford was far from the easiest ch

Leeds United have confirmed the signing of Djed Spence, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur for the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign. The 23-year-old full-back becomes the sixth arrival of the summer transfer window for Daniel Farke’s side. Speaking exclusively to LUTV after joining the Whites, Spence gave his thoughts on the move. He said: “It’s good to be here and I can’t wait to get started. “It’s a big club, obviously there’s a good squad and there is ambition at the club to get back to the Premier League. “I just want to get playing again. There’s a good manager here, I’ve heard a lot about him and way he wants to play attacking football. I think that will suit my style of football. "I’ve spoken to him [Daniel Farke] and he’s orchestrated in the way he wants to play, it sounded good and for me it was the right decision." Spence joins fellow Spurs loanee Joe Rodon at the club, and he could now make his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in a Yorkshire derby at El

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke spoke exclusively to LUTV following Tuesday’s Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat against Salford City. The Whites dominated the match, but were unable to convert opportunities at the Peninsula Stadium. The Leeds boss gave his verdict on the match and Round Two exit from the competition. “First of all we are disappointed, because we wanted to go into the next round,” said Farke. “I feel for the lads, when you judge the game, normally you need to win this game. “It was an incredible amount of chances that we have created, it’s so difficult to create big chances against a side who is sitting that deep and defends for their lives and for them, it is the game of the season. “We created so much, it felt like we had enough chances to score five by half time, but the reality is we just scored one in 90 minutes. “The opponent was one time in our half and they also scored one and we had to accept the draw after 99 minutes with added time and the l

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke was disappointed with his side’s Carabao Cup exit at the Second Round to fourth tier outfit Salford City. By Joe Donnohue The Whites were beaten on penalty kicks at the end of a 1-1 draw at the Peninsula Stadium, as Salford City progressed to the Third Round of the League Cup for the first time in the club’s history. Leeds’ last visit to this ground ended with a 3-0 victory in the same competition but despite Farke’s young side’s dominance of the ball and the lion’s share of attempts on goal, Leeds were unable to find a way past the League Two club. Pascal Struijk’s second half goal cancelled out Matt Smith’s opener against the run of play shortly before half-time, before penalties ensued after the final whistle on 98 minutes. Georginio Rutter and Jamie Shackleton missed their spot-kicks, while goalkeeper Karl Darlow was cautioned during the shoot-out for leaving his goal-line at Salford’s decisive penalty. Boss Farke expressed his disappoi

Salford 1-1 Leeds (9-8 on pens): Class of 92's club dump Leeds OUT of Carabao Cup as the League Two side win a dramatic penalty shootout Salford City beat Leeds 9-8 in a dramatic penalty shootout in Carabao Cup win Matt Smith put Salford in the lead before a Pascal Struijk levelled the cup tie By DOMINIC KING Daniel Farke's body language captured the mood perfectly. There he was, shuffling from side to side in frustration, grimacing as questions came in, sighing as he reflected where it all went wrong. This has been a turbulent and testing introduction to life as manager of Leeds United and, in Salford’s little stadium, his headache became bigger: defeat on penalties to a League Two side – wholly avoidable given the chances that had been squandered – turning up the spotlight. With Leeds, nothing is ever straightforward. Here, then, was a contest that characterised the way things go for them, as they climbed off the canvas a couple of times only to lose to the re-tak

Leeds United are working on the signing of Tottenham Hotspur right-back Djed Spence on a season-long loan deal with the London club understood to be keen on offloading the defender for 2023/24. By Joe Donnohue The Whites are hopeful of adding the Spurs full-back to manager Daniel Farke’s squad in the coming days, pending the completion of a medical, as per The Athletic. Spence is not understood to be in Ange Postecoglou’s plans in North London and subsequently could rejoin teammate Joe Rodon at Elland Road this season. Welsh international Rodon joined Leeds earlier this summer. Both he and Spence spent time at French Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais last season, on loan from parent club Tottenham. Spence’s Leeds switch is reported to be a straight loan deal, with no option to buy included in the prospective transfer. United are expected to pay a £1 million loan fee should the move be completed. The 23-year-old impressed in the Championship with Middlesbrough two seasons ago befor

Leeds United have reportedly hit roadblocks in their attempts to sign two of their transfer targets. By Tom Coates The transfer window closes this week and Leeds are among the clubs seemingly not yet finished with the market. Interest in Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Nadiem Amiri has been well documented, while reports have also suggested a desire to sign Joseph Paintsil from Genk. However, according to The Athletic, these moves are at a standstill. The report states a £5m fee was negotiated for Amiri and that he travelled to England for talks, but returned home having not undergone a medical or indicated intention to join. Paintsil, on the other hand, is reportedly still in Europe and in the midst of financial wrangling with Genk over bonuses potentially owed to him. Therefore, although Leeds are said to be hoping for additions before the deadline, the aforementioned moves do not appear to be progressing.

Leeds approach Leicester and Tottenham over loan deals for Luke Thomas and Djed Spence - as the Yorkshire club look to bolster their full-back options ahead of deadline day Leicester have favoured Callum Doyle over Luke Thomas at left-back this season Meanwhile, Djed Spence has struggled for game time since moving to Spurs Would Mohamed Salah 'do the dirty' on Liverpool by leaving? And what about Man United 'diving'?: Listen to It's All Kicking Off, Mail Sport's new podcast By SIMON JONES and BEN WILLCOCKS Leeds United have asked about loan deals for Leicester City left-back Luke Thomas and Tottenham's Djed Spence. The Championship side are keen to bolster their options at full-back following their relegation from the top flight, despite keeping hold of Junior Firpo and Luke Ayling and adding former Norwich star Sam Byram on a free transfer this summer. Leeds have endured a mixed bag of results to start the Championship season, winning and losi

ATTACK ATTACK Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman Leeds United signed a striker and started scoring lots of goals, and that’s football done the easy way. Leeds haven’t been lacking attackers but it wasn’t just a wine and gravy fantasy that had Sam Allardyce naming a team full of defenders in our last win-and/or-bust-anyway Premier League game. With a squad full of wingers, plus more in the treatment room and more on loan, nobody could make the Leeds attack make sense, so Allardyce banked his half a milly and didn’t even try. Daniel Farke is having to work harder for his money but wise spending of the club’s cash, about £10m up front for Joel Piroe, immediately unlocked missing value in the three misfits surrounding him. Is it a coincidence that Georginio Rutter, more than three times as expensive, suddenly looked like a player at Portman Road? That Wilf Gnonto could score, shushing generically to all the haters and losers out there, and Luis Sinisterra could finish a difficul

Daniel Farke admits his eighth week at Leeds United was a particularly good one – but that focus now very quickly turns to Salford City and a clear league must. By Lee Sobot Farke is now nearly two months into his tenure as Whites manager which has featured a host of first team exits following last season’s relegation but particularly big boosts in his eighth week at the helm. Leeds completed their fifth signing of the summer on Thursday as striker Joel Piroe sealed a switch from Swansea City as part of a week in which star men Luis Sinisterra and Willy Gnonto were also both reintegrated back into the Whites first team squad. Piroe, Sinisterra and Gnonto then all found the back of the net in Saturday’s Championship clash at early leaders Ipswich Town who were condemned to a 4-3 defeat as record Leeds signing Georginio Rutter also bagged his first goal for the club in United’s first league win of the new campaign. Newly-promoted Ipswich had gone 21 games without defeat and Far

By Phil Hay Was winning away at Ipswich Town a corner turned for Leeds United? Not according to Daniel Farke, whose way of avoiding counting chickens was to joke that “the next corner waits behind the next wall” – as close to Aristotle as the average Championship press conference gets. One win does not a fine season make and besides, as Farke sat and spoke at Ipswich, he and Leeds still had a transfer window to wrap up. The finished article is an intangible concept for managers, something very difficult to touch, and Farke could see that his squad was not there yet: lethal in their attacking play at Portman Road but less functional than they should be at the back; much better for one key piece of recruitment last week but not done in the market by quite a distance. Farke saw an excellent result for what it was, highly encouraging in certain aspects, but the real message of Saturday’s game was resounding: get this week right and Leeds will be in the mix. Fill the gaps that need fi

Leeds United bagged their first victory of the new Championship season at a team who had previously won every game and the club’s fans were delighted with a particular aspect of their side’s performance at Ipswich Town. Here is what our YEP Jury had to say on Saturday’s 4-3 win at Portman Road but some Whites ‘elephants in the room’ and the positions in which the club must add recruits. KEITH INGHAM Well that game had quite enough to keep both sets of fans entertained for nearly 100 minutes played and for the first time in 10 years, Leeds left Ipswich with three points after their 4-3 win. Daniel Farke produced a masterclass in the front four, Luis Sinisterra and Willy Gnonto returning aided by Georginio Rutter and new signing Joel Piroe. All four scored goals with Rutter, Gnonto and Piroe hitting three in nine minutes after Leeds went behind minutes earlier. Sinisterra netted in the second half to make it 4-2. Unfortunately, the two elephants in the room were Leeds’ defence an

Leeds United are off and running under Daniel Farke in the Championship at the fourth time of asking, picking up a first win at Ipswich Town. By Graham Smyth The newly-promoted side had been almost perfect in the lead up to this game and yet could do little to stop Farke's front four, who put on a clinical clinic and each etched their names onto the scoresheet. Leeds weren't perfect but the result was and the 4-3 scoreline made it a thriller. Here's the YEP take. Good day Daniel Farke Having dealt so well with so much already this summer he was due a reason to smile and the German clearly enjoyed this win. Always fairly measured, he did not get carried away but recognised that the players and the club as a whole needed this moment. He will be champing at the bit to make further improvement and tighten things up, but the prospect of working with such a potent attacking front line must be exciting for the boss. Willy Gnonto It could hardly have gone any better,

Leeds United are stepping up their transfer business as the deadline approaches By Ben McKenna Leeds United have submitted an official bid to Rangers for midfielder Glen Kamara with talks between the clubs entering the final stages, according to reports. The Whites have tracked the player all summer and though their interest appeared to cool at one stage, a reported bid now suggests he's a priority target. Fabrizio Romano reports a bid has been made with the deal expected to be completed in the coming days. Kamara is said to have ‘already accepted’ the move. Daniel Farke looked in need of an experienced midfielder at stages during the 4-3 win at Ipswich Town, particularly late on when the hosts were pouring forward in search of a point. Kamara started his career in the Arsenal academy, spending time on loan at Southend United and Colchester United during his time with the North London club. He made the move to Scotland with Dundee in 2017 before making the switch to Ran

A week is a long time in football and what a difference it can make. The one just gone has changed the mood at Leeds United dramatically. By Graham Smyth No wins in three, two key players training away from the team and little external evidence of the work Daniel Farke insisted was being done on recruitment had made things a little fraught around Elland Road. But when Saturday came Luis Sinisterra and Willy Gnonto were back in the fold, a new star had been introduced in Joel Piroe and all three hit the net in the most thrilling of 4-3 victories. Wins and signings were always going to drag the Leeds fanbase out of any late window pessimism and the week that was brought one of each. More than that, however, it was a week that showed the Peacocks can strut around in the Championship like the big club they are. Others wanted Piroe, particularly at a price just north of £10m but still south of what he's probably worth, and yet Leeds went and got it done. Being Leeds United still

By Phil Hay What were you doing at the age of 19? Or more to the point, what were you doing wrong at the age of 19, the fast-and-loose scrapes that make you cringe all these years on? That was the conversation started by Daniel Farke on Thursday as he simultaneously threw Willy Gnonto under a bus before dragging him out again, chiding him for meddling in disrepute but reflecting that Gnonto, human after all, was a 19-year-old doing 19-year-old’s things. “I think we all make mistakes at the age of 19,” Farke said, to knowing looks all round. Farke avoided compromising himself by talking about his own teenage misdemeanours and the need for the fifth amendment in this conversation is pretty much universal, save for those without sin. But Gnonto, back in business after trying to wriggle his way out of Elland Road, was a case study in how quickly and easily football can forgive. Gnonto became popular almost overnight in Leeds, a player whose father’s car would be swamped by autograph