Leeds United transfer poker and deadline chicken as fixtures reveal specific needs in 10-day raid - YEP 22/8/23
Whether it's transfer window poker that Leeds United are playing or deadline day chicken, what the next 10 days needs to look like is Supermarket Sweep.
By Graham Smyth
It has been a summer of cards being clutched tightly to
chests at Elland Road with very little said on the record about transfer plans,
other than chairman Paraag Marathe's talk of aggression and Daniel Farke's
regular declarations of just how much needs to be done and how hard everyone is
working to do it.
Leeds have been careful not to let the rest of the
footballing world know what kind of a financial hand they hold in the new 49ers
Enterprises era - talk of war chests inevitably leads to price hikes - although
the unsuccessful attempt to play the Max Aarons card was irrefutable evidence
that there is still money to be spent, even before Tyler Adams was sold for
around £23m.
What recruitment there has been thus far has been thrifty -
Sam Byram was free, Joe Rodon is a loan, Karl Darlow cost just £400k and Ethan
Ampadu at £7m feels bargainous - and sensible. Each of those four signings has
the look of solid Championship business, ticking boxes in terms of ability and
experience.
What recruitment there is still to do is plentiful and needs
to represent ambition, or aggression to use Marathe's word of choice.
The games Leeds have played under Farke have revealed as
such. A natural goalscoring number nine would have given them the presence in
the area that was lacking at Birmingham City and might have finished off one of
the chances created against West Brom. In both of those fixtures the absence of
a natural number 10, a flair player with vision and guile, would have turned
territory into opportunities. Someone who can receive the ball with their back
to goal and produce something clever and instantaneous so that attacks continue
to flow, so that the play does not have to go back towards the halfway line, is
key. The YEP understands that reports of a move for Brighton's Facundo Buonanotte
are wide of the mark but his profile as a chance creator would make sense.
Leeds were probably only that kind of player away from beating West Brom and
they weren't far away from getting something at Birmingham, but now they're not
far away from the transfer deadline.
If Leeds viewed this window as one of two halves, with the
first allowing them to deal with exits and the second focusing more on their
own recruitment, then we really are approaching the final whistle and no time
can be wasted.
The outgoing transfer ground, which has been covered
extensively, was where the first battles of the summer had to be fought and
those skirmishes, some of which have not gone Leeds' way, held the club's focus
and attention for some time. Until they knew who was staying, a clear picture
of what they needed could not be built. The argument for writing off anyone
with a release clause from the outset and clearing the decks as promptly as
possible is getting stronger and stronger in hindsight.
In the here and now, it's almost all about incoming
recruitment. The Luis Sinisterra and Willy Gnonto situations need to be
resolved but the greater need is at number nine, number 10, full-back and in
the centre of midfield. Of course if either man goes they will have to be
replaced.
Farke has made it clear that relying on Ethan Ampadu and a
17-year-old, in Archie Gray, is not sustainable. Should either player have to
drop out of the side, Leeds' current options do not a promotion charge make.
One good addition in midfield is the least the manager will expect. They wanted
Aarons and Farke has spoken about the need to bolster at full-back, so that's
another one, minimum.
The squad as it is can be described as a solid enough base,
a foundation, because the options at goalkeeper are good, there are four
centre-backs who could all start, there is experience in the full-back areas,
real potential in the current midfield pivot and danger out wide. Farke's
current striker options, when fit, will give him variety and choices to make.
But all in, Leeds are probably looking at several signings
if they want to make their Championship stay the 'bump in the road' Marathe
talked about. And 10 days remain in the window. Every club makes it clear they
want the right players, not just any players, and Leeds are no different. So
with that much business left to do it will require a steady hand and a
convincing poker face in the various negotiations that are currently ongoing.
The clock is ticking, selling clubs are sniffing for desperation, the fanbase
is crying out for news of arrivals and the deadline is coming down the road
towards them at speed, so standing their ground on any specific detail of a
deal will take serious confidence that they're doing the right thing.
What the next 240 hours needs to look like is an episode of
1990s daytime television hit Supermarket Sweep, with Leeds playing the part of
a contestant haring around filling their trolley before the clock hits zero.
The kind of contestant they need to be is the one who knows exactly what
they're after and makes a beeline straight for the high value items. That
should not present too much of a challenge because Gretar Steinsson and Nick
Hammond have had all summer to draw up their shopping list.
There is some method to leaving things late because that is
when things move in football and targets once thought to be unobtainable
suddenly become realistic signings. Any explanation of your method looks like
madness, however, if the deadline comes and you haven't come up with the goods.
The time to go wild in the aisles is very much upon Leeds now, if they want to
check out of the Championship next summer.