Pre Bielsa Leeds Utd have always had a very poor run-in, and in fact from Xmas to the end of the season we have managed to fail to get promotion or play off places several times. We now find ourselves back in the Premier League and have secured safety weeks ahead of plan and in fact just played against the best teams including 1st and 2nd place clubs, but had the best April in memory going unbeaten and taking 5 points from a possible 9. Oh and how’s that Burn-out thing working out? As we come to the end of the season we know there are going to be a lot of decisions made about the Academy. We know that we will lose maybe 5 senior players from the first team and will probably bring in maybe 3 expensive replacements or upgrades and some U23s may be promoted to the 1st team squad, but lets look lower down into the Academy. This week we saw 2 U18 players who looked to have talent, allowed to leave to join Simon Grayson at Fleetwood in League 1. Good luck to them but it demonstrates that the club didn’t see a future for these lads even though one of them had played 4 games for the U23s. We are now in with the ‘big boys’ so to speak and our U18s have been put to the sword this season, whereas the U23s comprehensively won the league and have won promotion. Next season the U23s could well have a tough campaign as our kids come up against top top players picked from all around the world, Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd have some of the worlds top talent. Our U18 team is selected from over 30 kids who are mainly 16, 17 year olds, so there is no consistency to team selections as the cream of these kids are transplanted into the U23s, and we saw that this weeks draw against Fulham had a mainly U18 feel about the 2nd half and it showed. This Summer we will see some U23 players go out on loan, released or sold. We will see some U18s replace them plus some more additions from other clubs. The U18s may see some new talent brought in but the majority will still be our U18 squad with some U16s promoted. We have managed to bring in 2 16yo kids this week to replace the 2 17yo kids we released to Fleetood. One came from Man City another winger in the mould of Fodham and Poveda, and we also brought in a defender from Liverpool, so things starting to happen already. I heard a Podcast this week which had a section on loan players and how beneficial it is or isn’t. Phil Foden was used as a great example of a kid refusing to go out on loan. Foden had been with Man City since the age of 5 and when it got to the stage that he signed his first pro contract, there were clubs lined up to get him on loan. Foden said that he had worked all his life to get into the first team and had trained for 2 solid years to be able to play for Pep’s team and Pep’s style of play, why would I want to go and unlearn everything. Why would I waste a year learning to play different, it will make it harder for me to succeed. When you think about it you have to agree, that if you have been working for a Klopp, Pep, Bielsa type coach, why would you want to unlearn? I also learned this week that Bogutsz went out on loan specifically against the will of Bielsa. Many of us couldn’t understand why Bielsa got rid of him as he was supposed to be a future star. Legia Warsaw are wanting to take him back to Poland and it was they who said Bielsa didn’t want him to go, but who overruled him, was it Orta or was it the player who wanted to play football? Warsaw’s spokesman also said it was unusual for English clubs to send kids out overseas as they normally use leagues 1 and 2 so they can be watched by their clubs. Apparently Bielsa has refused to sell Bogutsz back to Legia and is going to send the kid out on loan to the EFL this Summer? I cannot see any successes that we have had when loaning out a player overseas. In fact I would say every player sent has had a nightmare. Yes they all have a few brilliant games but tend to be neglected and sit on the bench. Over the last 3 seasons I have highlighted some great U23 talent (mainly Spanish) who have been loaned back into Spain and have failed and ended up being released. A couple like Hugo Diaz who skippered our U23s to the league title a couple of seasons ago ended up being sold, but usually these kids are released and never heard from again. Right now we have young Kun who scored goals for fun in the U23s alongside Ryan Edmondson, and he even played as a No10. He is in his 2nd season in Spain and not having a great time. Rafa Mujica a Barcelona No9 released and Orta snapped him up, but within a couple of weeks was sent out to Spain and having no luck, we saw the folly of Idagucchi sent out on loan to Spain and the farce of Bhoy who we still own who hasn’t played for years. Mujica is being sold and I expect Kun to be released, but do we need a rethink? What benefit are this seasons loaned out players getting, in view of Phil Foden’s comments. Ryan Edmondson has scored 5 goals all season with 3 of them in Scotland. But is now in League1. Jordan Stevens has had a disaster at 2 separate clubs, L1 Swindon saw a great start but then benched and brought home. Sent out to L2 and been benched since Xmas. Waste of time and remember this kid got on Bielsa’s pitch 3 times in the Championship. Bryce Hosannah a very talented kid who started his loan period in L2 and won acclaim but is injury prone and needed an operation. Not played since November and back at the club recovering. Robbie Gotts had a poor start in L2 but is now doing great still in L2 with his 2nd club and is a regular starter. Why would L2 football benefit his career at Leeds? Alfie McCalmont is smashing it at Oldham in L2 but again what benefit is he getting in L2. Will Gotts and Alfie be brought back for the 23s I wonder, as the experience gained could be a benefit, but they are now at an age where they would want first team football, but that will never happen at Leeds? Do these players go out on loan again but to the Championship? The youngest of these kids are Bogutsz and Edmondson and I forget that they are still only 19yo. Gelhardt is 18yo and for me should be in the first team squad, Greenwood is 19yo and again an argument for first team squad. Both can play No9 or No10. Ryan Edmondson is a big No9 but what do we do with him? How do you keep exceptional young talent who want to play in the first team happy. Greenwood and Gelhardt would start for any Championship team, so know their worth and I for one would hate to see them leave, but loaning them out? Or does Bielsa believe they can save the club a fortune by actually getting some first team minutes later next season? I think within weeks we should see the direction the club are going to take. I can see some kids sold, which means we are doing a bit of a Chelsea and bringing kids through to be sold. Some will be released but some will get more of a chance to force their way into the first team squad. We will also be bringing in kids for the 18s and 23s to make us more competitive next season. However if we go out and buy 5 first team players you can say that Joffy and Co will find it tough?
More broadsheet quality. Thanks, Doc. Got me thinking about the plight of these kids. Do you think they'd benefit of we owned another club? There have been strong rumours floated about us buying a Spanish club. Quite apart from all the other benefits, I wonder if we'd use that team as a finishing school for our kids. It would make sense, particularly if the new team played Bielsaball too. Could be the makings of Bielsa's replacement too.
A great point Neil because its not rumours Radz sees the future for Leeds as a multi club group in the mould of Red Bull, QSI, Man City Group, even the Pozzi family owning Udinesi and Watford, even Barnsley are now part of a group. Radz has said Leeds would be the focal point and Leeds would benefit from players going out on loan and a way of moving promising players within the group so normal work permit rules dont count as internal transfers. De Paul is a classic case as Udi may do an internal transfer to Watford for next season yet.....
I see that in the know top top pundit Kevin Phillips has now stated Raphinha is out for the season. Cheers Kev you know fk all but grab a headline
According to quite a few so called in the know journos Leeds are playing around with Koch and Phillips. ....... the idea is to see if Koch could be Phillips because Bielsa feels confident that Phillips can play Kochs role? The whole experiment (And I saw Koch play DM for the U23s) revolves around eeing if we can save millions? We also know and Bielsa knows and probably why Bielsa wanted him, is that Koch plays DM for Germany when asked as well as CB?
I really need someone to explain how Moise Kean is worth £45m and thats what Everton want for him. Let me be clear I first noticed the Kean kid back in 2016 and thought wow the kid is going to be massive. Remember this was the kid that took over from Ronaldo when injured and actually played with Ronaldo when he came back. So he was scoring goals for Juve but obviously a touchy guy because he wasn't prolific at Verona when loaned out. The Everton manager thinks hes the dogz but struggled with him as you can see, but Pochetino has him flying. Is he worth so much cash or is he a player far better than Fast Eddy who Arsenal want £20m for? Would you see Moise as a Leeds player? am Apps (Gls) 2016–2019 Juventus 16 (7) 2017–2018 → Verona (loan) 19 (4) 2019– Everton 31 (2) 2020– → Paris Saint-Germain (loan) 23 (12)
He has the talent but with it has the attitude, not for us, we need a solid option, not a risky proposition.
I think it was Liam Cooper that made the point that last season the Whites played over 50 games when you count Cup games. He said something like if they could play 50 games last season, they'd have no problem this term with less games.
I think it was the 90's, didn't we try and buy a stake in Oldham which would have meant we'd have first option on the development kids coming thru. Anyway, the league blocked it.
I'm no expert, but I wouldn't be surprised if playing against much fitter & higher quality teams might temper that simple equation.
On the subject of young players, Man City have today signed an Argentine winger Darío Ariel Sarmiento and hes only 17yo. This isnt a kid for the future otherwise its an expensive exercise as they have paid £6m up front with another £12m in add-ons and agreed a 20% sell on bonus for his former club Esteduentes. There are some 17yo players in the Prem now and a lot more who are not 20 yet This kid made his debut last season at 16yo in September 2020. In December Man City were in negotiations to buy him. Yesterday his club agreed the deal. He hasnt played any International games so City must have a way of getting a work permit?
Looking like we are going to be able to take 500 fans down to St Marys and the final home game against the Baggies we can have 10,200 plus 500 away fans
I would have thought the opposite. The accuracy of the passing, and less mistakes would mean less distance covered. Their aerobic capacity would have to be better in the Prem, ie short sprints / getting to the ball first.
Not even Mr Stats himself (Andrew Dalton) remembered this. Fortunately another Leeds fan found this... please log in to view this image
Agree with you that the quality of player is better but there’s no reason why they would be fitter than a championship player as we’ve proved. A factor might be that we press quickly and possibly don’t have possession of the ball as much as last season.
