The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Friday 22nd November)

Good Morning. It's Friday 22nd November, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road


Pre match press conference

During Marcelo Bielsa's pre match press conference, the Argentine was asked about Izzy Browns fine form for the Hatters

“I’m happy about that. He was with us and he had very good behaviour here. He’s showing a level he didn’t show with us. I consider this a mistake of mine. At Luton he is able to compete to play matches. We couldn’t give him this.”

“If we’d had him for another year, maybe we could have got another version of him. At Luton he arrived healthy and recovered. We needed six months where he couldn’t work properly. But don’t take credit away from him or the people who are with him now.”

If I am honest, Brown was not given a single opportunity to show what he could do! Obviously the gaffer saw him train on a daily basis, but that is very different to a match scenario, and with the slender margins between winning and losing I can't help but think that a few moments of magic could have made the difference for the Whites last season!

Thoughts?

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Higginbotham - Phillips is superior to Rice and Winks

Soccer pundit Danny Higginbotham has urged Gareth Southgate to select Kalvin Phillips as his holding midfielder and reckons the Leeds star is superior to current options Declan Rice and Harry Winks.

“Gareth Southgate has switched between Declan Rice and Harry Winks in this holding position — but for me it is still up for grabs ahead of next summer,”

“Looking outside the current squad, there are not exactly many English defensive midfielders excelling in the Premier League. But in Leeds’ Kalvin Phillips I see someone who could force his way into Southgate’s reckoning..

“The 23-year-old has been outstanding for Marcelo Bielsa’s side and has a number of really good attributes. I like his positional sense, he’s a very good tackler, and his distribution both long and short is fantastic.”

“Yes, Phillips has never played in the Premier League. But I don’t have an issue with that at all — there were plenty of clubs in for him over the summer and he would undoubtedly be playing in the top tier now if Leeds hadn’t done everything to keep hold of him. And in calling up Mason Mount last October when he was on loan at Derby from Chelsea, Southgate has shown he is not afraid to select a Championship player.

“The Three Lions don’t play again until March — if Phillips continues in this current vein of form then I see no reason why he shouldn’t be involved.

“I’m not saying he should be brought in as first choice. But in a position which is yet to be locked down, Phillips is well worth having a look at,”

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Dilemma

Assume you are the Leeds Utd Manager, and its January 1st.

An offer comes in for Kelvin Phillips of 50m!!!!!

It's your decision. What would you do?

To give you some assistance, hre is a list of Leeds most expensive signings, and departures, including what the players would be worth today!

Top-10 most expensive sales

• Alan Smith (04/05) to Manchester United for £8.1m - £29.1m today
• David Rocastle (93/94) to Manchester City for £2.2m - £33.4m today
• Robbie Fowler (02/03) to Manchester City for £8.8m - £33.8m today
• Robbie Keane (02/03) to Tottenham Hotspur for £9.5m - £36.2m today
• Harry Kewell (03/04) to Liverpool for £9m - £37.8m today
• Gary Speed (95/96) to Everton for £4.4m - £41.6m today
• Jonathan Woodgate (02/03) to Newcastle United for £12.2m - £46.6m today
• Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (99/00) to Atletico Madrid for £15m - £51.8m today
• David Batty (93/94) to Blackburn Rovers for £3.4m - £52.6m today
• Rio Ferdinand (02/03) to Manchester United for £41.4m - £158.7m today

Top-10 most expensive purchases

• Lee Bowyer (96/97) from Charlton Athletic for £3.4m - £25m today
• David Hopkin (97/98) from Crystal Palace for £4.4m - £25m today
• Tony Yeboah (95/96) from Eintracht Frankfurt for £2.9m - £27.8m today
• David Rocastle (92/93) from Arsenal for £2.2m - £30.4m today
• Robbie Fowler (01/02) from Liverpool for £15.1m - £34.2m today
• Robbie Keane (01/02) from Internazionale for £16.2m - £36.6m today
• Carlton Palmer (94/95) from Sheffield Wednesday for £2.8m - £40.4m today
• Lee Sharpe (96/97) from Manchester United for £6.1m - £44.4m today
• Rio Ferdinand (00/01) from West Ham United for £23.4m - £59.7m today
• Brian Deane (93/94) from Sheffield United for £3.9m - £60.7m today

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Highinbotham needs to watch our match highlights threads. Phillips only passes sideways and backwards, is always out of position, and was to blame for every goal we’ve conceded this season.

 

Morning all. Surely by now Izzy Brown should be nominated for a ballon d’or? Maybe if he single handed lay gets
Luton promoted and I’ve no doubt he will, he’ll edge out Messi and Ronaldo. As for the 50m for Kalvin? It would be grabbed and duly deposited in the Bates/Cellini/rads black hole. Never to be seen again. Booked another game last night. Busy two months ahead

 

Morning all

Izzy Brown? Yes there are some who look upon him a joke but just maybe if he had been fully Bielsaball fit he would have been the difference last season. We got him after Xmas and he spent his time mainly with the U23s and he was at times in a different class to anyone else on the pitch. He was the 2nd highest scorer (9) and did that from midfield and guess what we romped the league and cup. At times he looked like he didnt care but in the main whatever he did he did really well. I hope he is now getting his career back on line

Phillips is streets ahead of Rice and even Henderson and worth a place in the England squad and if someone wants to offer us £50m I would take it and buy a top striker

 

What games you doing Eire?

 

Good Morning to Matt and co froma damp Bardsey
I would sell Phillips and invest it in the squad buying a top class striker I would sell Douglass as well

 

I'm loving the fact that journalists & people in the know are touting Phillips to be immediately selected in the England squad. Although I was mocked for my opinion I could see in the first two months of Bielsa's tenure that Kalvin would play for England in the future Just as I witnessed the first time I saw Ben White play for Leeds when I made the comparison of his game to Rio Ferdinand, a natural who'll no doubt will follow Kalvin into the England set-up

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People make desperation buys in January and pay over the odds... so a huge bid would be tempting, but we need to keep our eye on the objective... he’s fundamental to how we play.

I appreciate this doesn’t help finance the extra striker we all want!

There will be plenty of suitors for Phillips in the summer if he continues to have a good season - he will have delivered two years on the trot and will be entering his prime.

If we don’t get promoted we will get a very good price.

If we do get promoted, we can likely keep him unless a top club offers mega bucks, in which case we buy a cheaper replacement and have cash in the bank for the increased fire power we’ll need in the premier league.

 

Love the way the whole squad seem to have a sense of togetherness

 

Absolutely Milky no way would I accept any offer in January.

Question is to those saying get rid.....would we be in a position to sign a top class striker whilst we're still in the championship?

 

You weren’t mocked on here with your Phillips for England stuff. You’ve been mocked for your nauseating love fest for him, and giving him man of the match even when he plays sh*t

You are the yang to Leedslover’s yin!

And now you’re trying to take ownership of ben white... behave, i saw him first

 

Believe me I got knocked elsewhere

You were at the Bristol City v Leeds game then

 

Saw him on loan last year, nailed on for 100 caps




... ok i read a few match reports

 

OOOOOOOOOOOH someones had their cornflakes pissed on today

 

That comes with being a Leeds Utd supporter. Agree that we shouldn't sell him because he suits Bielsa style. Although if he has a get out clause and his head gets turned we may lose him anyway.

 

Boro game next week and Sheff Wednesday game Gessa. Meeting a couple at Peacock pre game next week for a couple of scoops if you're around

 

I'd begrudgingly let Phillips go for 50 mill IF we had Forshaw fit.