The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Thursday 29th April)

Good Morning. It's Thursday 29th April, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road


Could Leeds be tempted by Sampdoria sale?

Sampdoria's financial predicament will mean that they will be forced to sell some of their top talent this Summer to balance their books!

Omar Colley and Mikkel Damsgaard have both been linked with moves to West Yorkshire this season, but how probably is it?

Gambian International centre back Colley is 28, and surprisingly skillful for a player his height 6ft 3'. Damsgaard has just broken through into the Danish squad. He's only 20, and can play on either wing.

Both players would undoubtedly improve Leeds squad and would be available 'on the cheap', but do Leeds really need another centre back and another winger? We know from past experiences that Bielsa does not like using a large squad.

Who would like to see Ronaldo Viera back at Elland Road. Sampdoria have loaned the 22yo out to Hellas Verona. A fee of 3m would be enough be bring him back to Elland Road!

Another player Leeds are keen on will soon be available on a free transfer. German International Julian Draxler will be a free agent this Summer. The lure of the Premiership and an outstanding first season must surely give the Whites a chance!

Rodrigo or Draxler?

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Academy snap up highly rated winger

Leeds United have raided the Manchester City academy, stealing away one of their highest rated prospects. Luca Thomas was part of Citeh's Elite Development Squad and had risen through the ranks at the Academy Stadium. The 16yo winger will sign a two year scholarship.

He will be joined by Cuba Cline. He has been in impressive form since joining the Whites from Anfield earlier this season!

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PL announce major coup

The Premier League is poised to pull off a major coup by extending its present TV deals worth £1.5 billion a year with Sky, BT Sport, Amazon and the BBC.

The new deal is set to commence at the start of the 2022/23 season. Tying the deal up now avoids the risk of the rights falling in an auction. The government will still need to sign off the paperwork, but considering what is happening elsewhere in World football, Boris better have his pen ready.

French Soccer had been thrown into disarray at the beginning of the year after MediaPro were forced to falter on their €3.25bn four year deal and withdraw their funding; severely denting the income of all French top-flight clubs. Where does this leave clubs like Lille who have debts of 125m?

With this lucrative deal on the table, should the English football authorities do more to support Championship and lower league clubs?

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Good morning.

I didn't think Viera was that good when we were in the Championship and if he can't get into either the Sampdoria or Hellas Verona side I doubt he'd improve us.

Draxler is one of those big names that still feels weird to see us linked with. I remember when we used to get excited at a rumour that someone's sister's boyfriend saw Nicky Maynard viewing flats in Leeds. Draxler might be available on a free but I imagine he'd pump up the wage bill a bit.

 

We have enough CB's that are all capable so a no for Colley. I think we'll be in for a winger so Damsgaard is a possibility on a long list I'd imagine. We'll be after a LB, CM and winger this summer I'd imagine. Also a GK if Kiko leaves and Caprile isn't deemed good enough and possibly a striker if Greenwood/Gelhardt don't make the step up.

I heard Draxler's partner didn't want to leave Paris? I'd rather stick with Rodrigo as he's had a year with the team and learning the system. A pre-season under his belt with us, have more luck with his fitness and he'll be a top player.

 

The Draxler thing has been around for a year now, but now confirmation that he will be leaving PSG on a free, so plenty of top clubs in Europe will be chasing him due to financial constraints and covid. Whoever offers him the best wage and best project gets him. Draxler can play wing or AM so covers a couple of boxes. Team mate of Koch plus the club are not scared of offering a big wage for a freebie player who is still valued at over £30m. Radz mentioned Cavanni last Summer. Flights from Leeds to Paris. Love to have him but cannot see it happening.

Another dream player I dont think we’ll be getting is Rodrigo De Paul. His club Udinesi want top dollar still and De Paul wants either Premier League or Milan or Juventus, but both have cash problems too. So yes Leeds like him but dont like his valuation in todays covid climate. Club owner Pozzi also owns Watford where his son is in charge. Watford may o an internal transfer so that he gets his Premier League dream but helps the family business?

 

Going to be fun this transfer window if greedy twots like Chelsea want £40m for Tammy Abrams. Everton want £48m for Moise Kean. If we go to France we can buy a whole team for that...... Norwich want £30m for Max Arrons, £35m for Buendia yet we can buy a Greek Island for that

 

If I were to put my realistic hat on and accept that we're not getting De Paul or Draxler, I think we could do worse than Ondrej Duda, a stand out player in a poor FC Koln side who could be relegated and forced to offload him. The CM/AM is their top scorer this season. He has some Premier League experience with a short loan spell at Norwich last season which earned him praise from Daniel Farke. Perhaps not the flashiest signing but I would say an affordable improvement on Roberts / Klich.

 

Morning all. We should only sign players who want to play for the club,and avoid anyone who is looking for the biggest cheque.

 

Raphinha no, Rodrigo si'
Brighton v Leeds (Sat, 15:00 BST)

Marcelo Bielsa starts with team news and it's a mixed bag.

Rodrigo is fit and available after a muscle injury but Raphinha is still sidelined with a thigh problem.

Defender Liam Cooper serves the final game of a three-match ban.

Bielsa was asked once more about his future and comments from chairman Andrea Radrizzani, who said there is a common will for him to be at Leeds next season.

“Any reference to this subject I prefer to make it after the competition has finished," he said. "I appreciate the words of the president with regards to my possible continuity.

“But I also agree with what he said that Leeds' prestige is above any others. Due to the solidness of this organisation they have the facility to make correct decisions.”

Marcelo Bielsa was asked about the social media boycott that is taking place this weekend to tackle abuse and discrimination.

“Anything that combats discrimination and the possibility to cause harm anonymously, to cause damage to someone unjustly and to do this without consequences, the reality is it should be combated."

Bielsa was also asked about whether he speaks English in training sessions.

As I'm sure you all know, Bielsa still speaks to reporters at news conferences via a transator.

He says it’s hard enough to explain himself in Spanish so he took the decision not to communicate in another language.

“One of my big deficits through my passage in English football is not being able to communicate in the language that everyone speaks. In one way it debilitates me the fact that I’ve not learnt to speak English," he said.

“One of the big tools a coach has is to transmit his message through his words. One of things I’ve dedicated myself to most as a coach is to speak well, to learn the significance or definition of words and to say it in the most simple way without losing the richness.


It's fair to say that Leeds have had a very good season following their return to the top flight after a 16 year absence and boss Bielsa touched on the importance of finishing the season well.

"To predict results is impossible. We are never going to do nothing more than give 100 per cent for the next game.

"In every game there are arguments which need to be taken into consideration.

Bielsa looked ahead to Saturday's opponents Brighton and said that they are "unfairly" near the bottom part of the table.

"The results sometimes coincide with the performances and other times they don't.

"Brighton is a team unfairly in the bottom part of the table. All the parameters you can consider to evaluate a team, how they attack and defend, where they spend most time on the pitch, possession, the losses of the ball or keeping possession, their offensive intensity.

"All the values you can analyse, they all position highly than they occupy.

"The hypothesis you open, we will consider them if they present themselves in the analysis of the next game.

"With regards this weekend's game, the reality is the same we have been carrying all season.

"Pressure is indispensable. We play better with pressure

 

It will be like starting an old two stroke engine again, when we see Rodrigo come on for the last 20 minutes. Next game he will get a half and then hopefully start for the last 3 games. Im sure he is dying to show us what he can do just like Llorente has. Roberts is going to be under even more pressure now. Murderball must have been yesterday then

 

Gaytown fc will know what pressure is like after we give them a taste of murderball.

 

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co...n-super-league-failure-daniel-chapman-3215330

 

Right now we have three positions with no real cover: Goalkeeper, DM and Striker
We'd suffer if Meslier, Phillips or Bamford were out
And with Alioski looking like his departure is all be sealed, LB is an issue too

So that's 4 positions we need to fill with signings/promotions from youth squad before we even look to improving the team

IMO, since the decline of Hernadez, we've lacked a creative force in midfield and that's where we need to focus.
I would say two attacking midfielders and off-load Rodrigo who doesn't fit Bielsa's tactics.

Then we can think of another winger but it's hard to pick one better than Poveda who wouldn't demand first team football.

 

Evening all

No to Draxler, the minute someone else was picked ahead of him or the minute he was substituted in the 50th minutes he'd throw a tantrum and Bielsa would freeze him out. Big name and big wages who I do not believe would suit Bielsa's demands and style.

 

Plus he wouldn't swap Paris for Leeds.

 

Show pony who would not be a team player....would be better off with someone from drax power station!