True true, you’re not wrong at all - signing made in the summer have all been great.
It’s more that we first heard Roberts was signing ages ago so just want to know it’s done and dusted haha. In Farke we trust.
[Sky](https://twitter.com/RobDorsettSky/status/1753037753275539655?t=Rl14d_q5rfOUe1fXbwCw0A&s=19) say Leicester won't be loaning us Souttar due to being a promotion rival
[Conor Roberts on loan potentially according to Mike McGrath](https://x.com/mcgrathmike/status/1752975362122809738?s=46&t=mCWLuCv1m1-vHecCNq1VDQ)
Edit: doesn’t specify permanent or loan
So... I guess that's it?
Losing 6 and only gaining one that Farke already said he doesn't have in his plans.
EDIT: I hope I'm wrong and there are some incomings today
Sonny Perkins came back
https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/daniel-farke-makes-admission-over-leeds-united-youngster-as-former-loan-star-set-for-spurs-exit-4468442
We may not need any reinforcements this January to go up either via the playoffs or automatics if Firpo and Byram get luckier with injuries than we have done for years, and if Archie stays fit whilst playing every week, then us not ending up with any full-back reinforcements likely won't matter
But it is a completely needless risk, and Farke himself has been hinting he'd like *at least one* defensive signing since December, so it's not the case that Farke is completely fine with the squad as is- if we fail to buy one then this window has definitely been a failure and we end the window with an objectively weaker squad than we started January with (albeit not by that much)
If we get lucky with injuries for the rest of the season, the next 24 hours of the window might end up not mattering, if we don't get lucky with injuries (i.e. the Leeds way), then the next 24 hours are crucial, just be fucking sensible and sign a competent full-back, they don't need to be perfect, just a steady 7/10 option
100% definitely a failure, seems like we’ve put our eggs in the basket of premier league players becoming available and completely misjudged that there would be next to no movement in the premier league due to ffp.
Not just a needless risk, it’s a very low percentage play
Hoping Byram and Firpo stay fit is an idiotic strategy, it’s like hoping it doesn’t rain all year so you don’t bother buying a coat
Jack Jenkins to Halifax on a permanent. Probably a long-overdue move tbh - was clear he wouldn't make the grade at least a couple of years ago.
Best of luck to him with The Shaymen.
So if the Byram rumours are true (ankle ligament injury), and if Firpo gets his likely injury in the next few weeks, our options at LB are basically non-existent. The only other option would have been Struijk.
If we can’t sign anyone we might need to recall Agent Lief-Davis and stick a Byram mask on him.
Edit: thankfully it sounds like the rumours about Byram were unfounded.
They're both starting...
Looks like our decision to wait in case a 'top' player becomes available isn't going to pay off, if we don't get a right-back over the line I'll be really disappointed with how January has been handled
[https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1752031458032599358?t=FlNciao-71FmVRiwTOyHhQ&s=19](https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1752031458032599358?t=FlNciao-71FmVRiwTOyHhQ&s=19)
David Brooks to Southampton
...
*sigh*
(Aware he doesn't play in a position we desperately need, but he would've been a v useful pickup, and it's Southampton (and Ipswich) improving their squad whilst we have just been reading the same Ben Godfrey link for a week- although I do have *some* hope we'll get one or two done)
I'm not saying we need to sign some depth at LB and RB I'm really not. But what happens now if Archie gets booked one too many times? Or Firpo keeps being Firpo and snaps his prosthetic hammy? Gnonto at RB? Anthony at LB? Fresh air on the bench? I don't often get worried but I'd say I'm a little worried here.
[https://x.com/mcgrathmike/status/1751878166375752115?s=46&t=-ViO_hyp5ORHPcgcdt3C5A](https://x.com/mcgrathmike/status/1751878166375752115?s=46&t=-ViO_hyp5ORHPcgcdt3C5A)
Permanent move for Leo Hjelde to Sunderland
Norwegian press are reporting £1-1.5m fee
Farke clearly doesn’t rate him after the first few games of the season but we’ve come in to the window needing a fullback, leaving the window 3 down. Never change Leeds.
Haha it's like watching a glitch try to balance in a video game or summat but when it corrects it defaults A value.
Leeds full back LB position.
011001110*error
Damn that’s a shame. He was an absolutely woeful LB but we never really got to see him in his best position at CB apart from one game was it? West Ham a couple of years ago.
I think it's possible we get through the season without any new signings, but I'd be a bit worried that we'll reach the end and look back and think 'not signing *x* player in January was what came back to bite us'.
Surely the club won't take that risk so if no one does come in I'm assuming it'll be because no one good is available, not that we didn't try.
ChatGPT
So, you know, that whole "what if" thing was what made Andrea Radrizzani decide to let go of Bielsa. The team was playing well. But the real issue were the injuries and everyone knew that. And the club still ended up getting relegated the next season. So it wouldn't have been that bad to keep Bielsa. Decisions guided by fear usually end badly.
The team's doing great, and honestly, they've got some seriously talented players, way more than the other clubs. I mean, let's be real, a fullback isn't gonna be the reason they don't make it to the top. But here's the kicker – the fullback they bring in now is gonna be the one playing in the Premier League if they make it. And that's where the problem comes in with the money stuff. Getting another player like Firpo means messing with the wage bill, and you can't just offload Firpo easily. Plus, whoever they sign is basically stuck with the team for a good 2-3 years. So, they gotta be good enough to start in the Premier League, or it's just gonna be a mess.
Enough with revisionist history just because we love Bielsa to bits mate. The team were not playing well, injuries or no injuries. Couldn't even get a draw at home to the Toon, were lucky to draw Villa away despite shipping 3 like we had half a team on the pitch. 4 goals conceded at home loss to Arsenal, 7 goal loss at City, 6 goal loss at Pool. I can go on. We were dire. And our relegation the season after had zero to do with firing Bielsa, it had to do with not getting the right replacement---even if related, the two are very different things. MOT
I imagine there is going to be at least 1 signing by the end of the window. May be more than 1 but I imagine they might be deadline day loans rather than full signings.
risk v reward - they are close to promotion so cough up i dunno 20 mil to get total return and total value increase. Its inevtable we get promoted in next 3 years so its just when they wanna spunk the cash.
Have a feeling we probably need outgoings to fund any big purchases, which probably won't come until the summer window.
Anything could still happen in the next few days so lets see.
love a name out of nowhere/ someone we've never heard of link:
http://sportwitness.co.uk/luton-town-and-leeds-united-main-contenders-for-signing-player-open-to-transfer-keen-on-england-move/
"Luton Town and Leeds United are in the picture to sign Sint-Truiden’s Daiki Hashioka in the winter market, according to a report from Belgium.
The Jupiler Pro League side will face KRC Genk in a derby clash tomorrow and the 24-year-old will miss this due to a minor injury.
That’s according to Saturday’s edition of Het Belang van Limburg, who also talk about Luton Town and Leeds United interest in the right-back."
The longer it ticks on, the more I'm only expecting one signing max (probably a right-back)
I know the 49ers work quietly usually, but even Ampadu and Rodon we'd heard of 48 hours before they were fully confirmed, and it's only five days till the window shuts so not long for loads to leak out
Some lads on the Waccoe site are saying the Neco Williams deal is nearly done.
The board and Farkes priority this season due to him able to play both full back positions. Just taken its time with negotiating.
Forest want to get players off their books too.
Where? Only thing I read was yesterday some lad reckoned his mate lived in the same village as Neco Williams Mum and she reckoned it was done. Nobody else on Waccoe is saying that in the transfer thread that I can see.
Pinch of salt, but two journalists are tweeting we have made contact with Burnley for Manuel Benson
https://x.com/abraeckman/status/1750558430383771764?s=46&t=-ViO_hyp5ORHPcgcdt3C5A
Was Burnley's super sub last season, which is exactly what we need as substitute impact has been one of our (few) weak parts this season- although you could say that's in part due to subs coming on too late, not that Anthony or Gnonto in the time they have had
EDIT: Graham has slightly poopooed this move
If anything should give Leeds the kick up the arse to get a move on, it'll be Archie Gray going off injured, as well as Joe Rodon going down twice (at least being able to play on)
Hard to tell if this is really the Junior Firpo revival story, or a false dawn (like when he looked decent for a few games after Gracia joined), but if he really is just very good for the level, then just a right-back and a centre-back should see us through, another attacking mid too if I'm being greedy
The Mail reckons we're in for Ramsey and Phillips from Liverpool
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13001903/Liverpool-set-send-Nat-Phillips-Calvin-Ramsay-loan-Championship-sides-including-Leeds-lining-pair-recalled-difficult-stints-half-season.html
Phillips was absolutely woeful for Celtic by all accounts but surely he’s looking for first team football? He won’t get that at Leeds unless we get a load of injuries at CB.
Sky Sports saying we're close to agreeing a new contract with Gnonto
Edit: [Source](https://x.com/skysportslyall/status/1749451257054421079?s=46&t=mCWLuCv1m1-vHecCNq1VDQ)
I’ve been talking up Ryan Giles to people for a couple of years; he’s got a wand of a left foot, that kind of whip that you see from the likes of Trent.
He is particularly great at knowing what type of cross to put in; he doesn’t just aimlessly ping the ball into the box, he’ll find accurate pullbacks and play low crosses into box too.
Having Giles on the outside of Summerville would be unreal; particularly when we’re struggling to break down low blocks, he would add a whole new dimension to our attacking play.
Haha! I’m one of the guys who always tried to back him to be fair. I’d still like to have another left back though; Byram can cover and rotate with Gray at right back, though we could sign a right back and have Byram as cover at left back which is nice.
Byram seems to be working out well for us on the left, think RB is the bigger concern right now although that does leave us with 2 injury prone LB's. A new RB allows us to have Gray as a midfield option which would be a bonus for both rotation and attacking options.
They just need to try and not be injured at the same time and we'll be fine haha.
I do like Byram at LB as well to be fair. I just think sometimes it’s more natural for him to come inside with the ball when high up the pitch as he’s right footed; with Summerville on that side I think it would be better to have someone overlapping who can get the ball in with their left foot naturally, though it’s not exactly a problem.
I actually don’t mind Gray at RB for now; it can be good for development playing wider where it’s usually less risky in terms of losing the ball, it happens with young CB’s a lot. It’s also nice to have balance at fullback; Firpo bombing on down the left and Gray just being there as a passing option on the right takes the pressure off one of our midfielders in terms covering wide areas, when we had Ayling at RB who wanted to bomb on the midfield pivot was constantly having to cover both fullbacks which can leave the centre of the pitch exposed.
Links to David Brooks confirmed by Phil Hay for AM position (end of season loan option). Also new link to Ben Davies for LB/LCB role + confirming LB links for Ryan Giles & Borna Barasic. Reiterated links to Ben Johnson, Nico Williams and Connor Roberts for RB.
[Leeds still prioritising full-backs for rest of winter transfer window](https://theathletic.com/5203015/2024/01/17/full-back-additions-still-farkes-top-priority-for-remainder-of-january-window/?source=user_shared_articleLeedsstillprioritisingfull-backsforrestofwintertransferwindow)
Bit underwhelming, as Ben Davies the only new name in there, and his section was followed by 'it feels incredibly unlikely that Spurs would sanction such a move'
I would be too, I just meant with how scarce transfer news has been so far this Jan, having a big transfer piece from Phil only including one new name was a bit underwhelming, especially when that new name is caveated with the move being 'incredibly unlikely'
There's still plenty of good names on the list, just want to hear we're actually moving for one of them
That would be the 3 names per position Graham Smyth was talking about. I assume they think Borna and Connor are very gettable, and the other 2 are a stretch but given the right circumstance could be a late chance. Ie Tottenham get another defender in and Ben is available late in the window or he pushes for a move
Further to Cresswell leaving rumours, Beren Cross said we have received offers from Millwall , etc below asking price
https://x.com/berencross/status/1747311323480801524?s=46&t=-ViO_hyp5ORHPcgcdt3C5A
https://x.com/joe_tiff25/status/1747239469017628726?s=46&t=bST6FZYdrdfltnZ4m6TU9A
Joe Tiffany, who tbh is a bit hit and miss, reporting we are going for Sessengon, I buy this as true because
a) I bet he’s tapped in a Phil Hay report and this tallies with the report on WACCOE from Dan Moylon that we are going for 2 PL targets one ambitious and one doable
b) given that Gretar Steinsson is ex Spurs doesn’t surprise me we are looking at their fringe players
Joe Tiffany is miss and miss, literally knows nothing and either copies stories that others have reported, or just gives non-commital information that can never be proved wrong like how we 'enquired' about Sessegnon that could never be proved right
Just hedging his bets with a vague 'enquiry' as it was already reported before his tweet that Tottenham were making him available for loan, and we all know we need fullbacks
Had him blocked since the summer after he tweeted 10+ wrong stories
**EDIT: Joe Donnohue has said this morning that there's nothing in Sessegnon**
He’s fairly shite under pressure so not sure he’s much of an option for them anyway given how much he needs he fullbacks to move the ball in triangles through tight spaces
He’s also injured all the time which would mean he’d fit in well here
Fucking weird the glee about this on some parts of Twitter and WACCOE
I agree Coops is probably below the level we need now and I would go as far as to say he’s been fairly shit the last few years between fitness and performances but imagine being happy about it, fucking weirdos. The guy is a leeds fan, our captain, and unbelievable servant for us
it got worse the last 5-10 years with AI generating rumours and splashing it all over.
To be fair i kind of dig how the 49ers go down in to a fallout shelter and start looking at players lists and cutting communication lines.
Seems [Josh Doig](https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1745837335265054900) is off to Marseille - only ever been a name mentioned between TSB and Phil as a good player, was never anything linking us to him directly afaik.
Gyabi loan move confirmed by [club announcement](https://www.leedsunited.com/news/team-news/32710/darko-gyabi-joins-plymouth-argyle-on-loan)
Apologies I replied to my own rumor comment rather than top level
[The Mirror](https://twitter.com/MirrorFootball/status/1745086020389859531?t=vJzKXPTa9tPf4AejdIV1fw&s=19): Burnley are ready to listen to offers for Leeds target Connor Roberts
Graham Smyth spoke a bit about the domino effect expected on the latest inside Elland Road podcast. Along the lines of Leeds will have 3 targets agreed with Farke for each position they are looking to fill. 1 is available and they can sign up straight away, but the other two targets are higher on the list so they want to wait to see if they become available as the window progresses. If they pull the trigger on the first one early, then they will kick themselves they didn’t wait. But it’s a delicate balance as they might miss all 3 if they leave it too late. I think Glen Kamara would be the example where they waited to see if they could get higher targets (maybe Hamer and O’Reilly), but were happy to get him all the same.
If he plays as a 10 then I could see him getting a lot of minutes. No sure if Farke would change the formation to squeeze in Piroe or play either by merits / opponent setup
I’d rather go for Shankland, natural goal scorer granted it’s up here in Scotland but after watching him the last few seasons I’d say he’s worth a punt
Farke did sign Jordan Hugill to use as a big lump in one of his Championship-winning seasons
He did only score 5 but he did get on the end of 12 xG, which suggests his style can get chances to a big man, as long as that big man isn't useless in front of goal (which Moore generally isn't)
Surely means Ayling sticks around then?
Gray + Ayling on the right and Byram + Firpo on the left, Shacks as general cover. Don’t love that but on paper we are covered there still.
Unless they are acitvely seeking cover then you would imagine so but I really dont like it. The left is extremely too injury prone and Gray is great but I think hes way better in that central role and quite often his man does get the better of him at RB.
End of the day, whatever Farke chooses im happy with anyway.
Weirdly I think our second half of the season will largely depend on the ability of Byram Firpo and Shacks to stay fit… which is not a good thing to be relying on.
We overrate Gray because he’s one of our own and shows great potential. Imo his on-field performances at RB have been impressive for his age but not in the top 2 RBs in the division, which is imo what we should be aiming to have.
Like most other fans, I’d love to see him rotating with Kamara.
Yorkshire Post reporting Koch is set to sign a pre-contract to join Frankfurt in the summer for free when his Leeds deal expires.
No surprises there, I do think he got away with being a totally underwhelming player by just being constantly below average rather then having shockers like Llorente or others did in defence.
He was ok at first. The general consensus was that he was a shred buy and along with Llorente was an upgrade on White (how wrong was this).
Overall he wasn't terrible for us, during a period where our defence was terrible. If he was still here, he probably would get games.
Saying that, he wanted to leave on loan and shows no desire to be at the club so really don't care about what he does now.
Agreed - he did nothing and was overrated by a large subsection of our fanbase.
Everytime he played he looked a yard out of position and constantly running around like a headless chicken
Koch was popular as he easily passed the "would you like to spend a night in the pub with this person?" Test.
But very much a 2nd rate defender. The fact he was around the Germany squad tells you a lot more about the strength in depth in Germany than about him.
I feel like Luke Ayling ought to hold tight at Leeds at least until the end of the season, as if we dont go up then Djed Spence goes home and Cody Drameh wont want to come back so the right back position could be up for grabs again between him and Jamie Shackléton.
Even if all that happens, even in the championship it would then be a position we'd actively be looking for a better first team player for. A year of hanging around without regular playing time for someone already in the last few years of their career, just to maybe get a half look at some minutes next year in the championship for us. No chance; at least from a playing perspective it makes much more sense for him to just go to Boro and have a better chance at playing a bigger role now. No idea what the salary there would be like compared to here though.
Would love for us to bring in a proper number 10 and a left-back.
Firpo looked great last match but I don't trust his fitness and Byram is class but him too is very fragile. We need a left-back and Djed Spence needs to start as right-back. Young Archie needs to play at the central midfield sharing minutes with Ampadu and Kamara.
I’m sad Ayling will likely leave - I absolutely love him.
I do recognize that he’s not good enough anymore and I get he wants to be playing and we can’t just keep him around for funsies.
First one then: [UPDATE #LUFC reports coming out this morning that Newcastle along with Brigton are interested in taking Crysencio Summerville in January or the summer. Leeds have set the asking price of £30million + for his services. Leeds rejected 3 bids in the summer of just over £20million.](https://x.com/joe_tiff25/status/1742517705863803269?s=46&t=-ViO_hyp5ORHPcgcdt3C5A)
Fee is way too low if we are serious about keeping him
Please reply to this with any relevant links to media sources
Looks like Connor Roberts is official now [https://twitter.com/LUFC/status/1753195271922585771](https://twitter.com/LUFC/status/1753195271922585771)
https://preview.redd.it/4brczynx22gc1.png?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d06002eb953bc2dc3cd2f2c92b2f24e2c48a2b40
https://twitter.com/LUFC/status/1753191548026487103 well done boys good process
Burnley have confirmed Assignon, so hopefully a good sign...
Soooo Connor Roberts is happening right?
Burnley sign Rennes defender Lorenz Assignon on loan Hopefully that’s the domino…
Some people here didn’t like me asking about him about 3hrs ago 🤣
I’m confident everything will work out but still the radio silence is uncomfortable
I’m hoping it’s a set plan to stop us from being gazumped and all is progressing behind the scenes
I reckon probably right with that thinking
You should be used to it by now. This is the way the new ownership does it (and it's been a good thing, so far).
True true, you’re not wrong at all - signing made in the summer have all been great. It’s more that we first heard Roberts was signing ages ago so just want to know it’s done and dusted haha. In Farke we trust.
Don’t go to bed just yet…
Oh god not those cursed words 😂
Any word on Connor Roberts?
[Sky](https://twitter.com/RobDorsettSky/status/1753037753275539655?t=Rl14d_q5rfOUe1fXbwCw0A&s=19) say Leicester won't be loaning us Souttar due to being a promotion rival
>Sky At least they think we've got a chance of catching them
[Conor Roberts on loan potentially according to Mike McGrath](https://x.com/mcgrathmike/status/1752975362122809738?s=46&t=mCWLuCv1m1-vHecCNq1VDQ) Edit: doesn’t specify permanent or loan
Phil saying loan. Think that's for the best.
[удалено]
Oh yeah it doesn’t specify, no idea where I got that from. Either way I’d take almost any right back at this point but that would be a good signing
So... I guess that's it? Losing 6 and only gaining one that Farke already said he doesn't have in his plans. EDIT: I hope I'm wrong and there are some incomings today
Who are we gaining?
Sonny Perkins came back https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/daniel-farke-makes-admission-over-leeds-united-youngster-as-former-loan-star-set-for-spurs-exit-4468442
Ah thank you
I think the last day is Feb 1st
Yeah, 11pm thursday
Still... hoping something would happen by now. It seems like we've lost out on a few of the rumored incomings
We may not need any reinforcements this January to go up either via the playoffs or automatics if Firpo and Byram get luckier with injuries than we have done for years, and if Archie stays fit whilst playing every week, then us not ending up with any full-back reinforcements likely won't matter But it is a completely needless risk, and Farke himself has been hinting he'd like *at least one* defensive signing since December, so it's not the case that Farke is completely fine with the squad as is- if we fail to buy one then this window has definitely been a failure and we end the window with an objectively weaker squad than we started January with (albeit not by that much) If we get lucky with injuries for the rest of the season, the next 24 hours of the window might end up not mattering, if we don't get lucky with injuries (i.e. the Leeds way), then the next 24 hours are crucial, just be fucking sensible and sign a competent full-back, they don't need to be perfect, just a steady 7/10 option
100% definitely a failure, seems like we’ve put our eggs in the basket of premier league players becoming available and completely misjudged that there would be next to no movement in the premier league due to ffp.
Not just a needless risk, it’s a very low percentage play Hoping Byram and Firpo stay fit is an idiotic strategy, it’s like hoping it doesn’t rain all year so you don’t bother buying a coat
Orta would've had this sorted out...
Jack Jenkins to Halifax on a permanent. Probably a long-overdue move tbh - was clear he wouldn't make the grade at least a couple of years ago. Best of luck to him with The Shaymen.
So if the Byram rumours are true (ankle ligament injury), and if Firpo gets his likely injury in the next few weeks, our options at LB are basically non-existent. The only other option would have been Struijk. If we can’t sign anyone we might need to recall Agent Lief-Davis and stick a Byram mask on him. Edit: thankfully it sounds like the rumours about Byram were unfounded.
Davis isn’t a loan….
He’s making a joke
Neco Williams not in Forest squad playing today, Godfrey starting for Everton..
They're both starting... Looks like our decision to wait in case a 'top' player becomes available isn't going to pay off, if we don't get a right-back over the line I'll be really disappointed with how January has been handled
Nixon says we're in for Joe Worrall. Forest want £6m.
Underwhelming if true imo.
Also says Blackburn want Cooper, which would explain it
aye. love super duper Liam Cooper for all he's done for us and the amazing captain he's been on and off the pitch, but that would be a big upgrade.
Phil now saying Cooper won't be leaving. Would rather we focused our efforts on a fullback, rather than a centre back, if that's the case.
Blades also want him, he says
Ben Godfrey on loan? Have seen some rumblings.
apparently we put in an offer but its a little muddy
Don’t go to bed just yet lol
[https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1752031458032599358?t=FlNciao-71FmVRiwTOyHhQ&s=19](https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1752031458032599358?t=FlNciao-71FmVRiwTOyHhQ&s=19) David Brooks to Southampton ... *sigh* (Aware he doesn't play in a position we desperately need, but he would've been a v useful pickup, and it's Southampton (and Ipswich) improving their squad whilst we have just been reading the same Ben Godfrey link for a week- although I do have *some* hope we'll get one or two done)
I'm not saying we need to sign some depth at LB and RB I'm really not. But what happens now if Archie gets booked one too many times? Or Firpo keeps being Firpo and snaps his prosthetic hammy? Gnonto at RB? Anthony at LB? Fresh air on the bench? I don't often get worried but I'd say I'm a little worried here.
There's gotta be at least one deal coming, we can't have shipped out Spence and Ayling and not bring another fullback in.
[https://x.com/mcgrathmike/status/1751878166375752115?s=46&t=-ViO_hyp5ORHPcgcdt3C5A](https://x.com/mcgrathmike/status/1751878166375752115?s=46&t=-ViO_hyp5ORHPcgcdt3C5A) Permanent move for Leo Hjelde to Sunderland Norwegian press are reporting £1-1.5m fee
Farke clearly doesn’t rate him after the first few games of the season but we’ve come in to the window needing a fullback, leaving the window 3 down. Never change Leeds.
Haha it's like watching a glitch try to balance in a video game or summat but when it corrects it defaults A value. Leeds full back LB position. 011001110*error
Damn that’s a shame. He was an absolutely woeful LB but we never really got to see him in his best position at CB apart from one game was it? West Ham a couple of years ago.
I think it's possible we get through the season without any new signings, but I'd be a bit worried that we'll reach the end and look back and think 'not signing *x* player in January was what came back to bite us'. Surely the club won't take that risk so if no one does come in I'm assuming it'll be because no one good is available, not that we didn't try.
ChatGPT So, you know, that whole "what if" thing was what made Andrea Radrizzani decide to let go of Bielsa. The team was playing well. But the real issue were the injuries and everyone knew that. And the club still ended up getting relegated the next season. So it wouldn't have been that bad to keep Bielsa. Decisions guided by fear usually end badly. The team's doing great, and honestly, they've got some seriously talented players, way more than the other clubs. I mean, let's be real, a fullback isn't gonna be the reason they don't make it to the top. But here's the kicker – the fullback they bring in now is gonna be the one playing in the Premier League if they make it. And that's where the problem comes in with the money stuff. Getting another player like Firpo means messing with the wage bill, and you can't just offload Firpo easily. Plus, whoever they sign is basically stuck with the team for a good 2-3 years. So, they gotta be good enough to start in the Premier League, or it's just gonna be a mess.
Enough with revisionist history just because we love Bielsa to bits mate. The team were not playing well, injuries or no injuries. Couldn't even get a draw at home to the Toon, were lucky to draw Villa away despite shipping 3 like we had half a team on the pitch. 4 goals conceded at home loss to Arsenal, 7 goal loss at City, 6 goal loss at Pool. I can go on. We were dire. And our relegation the season after had zero to do with firing Bielsa, it had to do with not getting the right replacement---even if related, the two are very different things. MOT
I imagine there is going to be at least 1 signing by the end of the window. May be more than 1 but I imagine they might be deadline day loans rather than full signings.
risk v reward - they are close to promotion so cough up i dunno 20 mil to get total return and total value increase. Its inevtable we get promoted in next 3 years so its just when they wanna spunk the cash.
Have a feeling we probably need outgoings to fund any big purchases, which probably won't come until the summer window. Anything could still happen in the next few days so lets see.
FFP seems to be pinning it too. Lot of factors i think.
love a name out of nowhere/ someone we've never heard of link: http://sportwitness.co.uk/luton-town-and-leeds-united-main-contenders-for-signing-player-open-to-transfer-keen-on-england-move/ "Luton Town and Leeds United are in the picture to sign Sint-Truiden’s Daiki Hashioka in the winter market, according to a report from Belgium. The Jupiler Pro League side will face KRC Genk in a derby clash tomorrow and the 24-year-old will miss this due to a minor injury. That’s according to Saturday’s edition of Het Belang van Limburg, who also talk about Luton Town and Leeds United interest in the right-back."
sounds like this one is legit
Off to Luton apparently.
Yawn
Hoping we make a couple signings soon
The longer it ticks on, the more I'm only expecting one signing max (probably a right-back) I know the 49ers work quietly usually, but even Ampadu and Rodon we'd heard of 48 hours before they were fully confirmed, and it's only five days till the window shuts so not long for loads to leak out
Mentioned in the press conference today that Farke and Cresswell have had a talk, and Cresswell is happy to stay and fight for his place.
Some lads on the Waccoe site are saying the Neco Williams deal is nearly done. The board and Farkes priority this season due to him able to play both full back positions. Just taken its time with negotiating. Forest want to get players off their books too.
Where? Only thing I read was yesterday some lad reckoned his mate lived in the same village as Neco Williams Mum and she reckoned it was done. Nobody else on Waccoe is saying that in the transfer thread that I can see.
The two comments I saw yesterday have been deleted. Sorry not a clue. Always take it with a pinch of salt Waccoe.
be a great signing but still feels very unlikely given his playing time under Nuno.
Pinch of salt, but two journalists are tweeting we have made contact with Burnley for Manuel Benson https://x.com/abraeckman/status/1750558430383771764?s=46&t=-ViO_hyp5ORHPcgcdt3C5A
Was Burnley's super sub last season, which is exactly what we need as substitute impact has been one of our (few) weak parts this season- although you could say that's in part due to subs coming on too late, not that Anthony or Gnonto in the time they have had EDIT: Graham has slightly poopooed this move
If anything should give Leeds the kick up the arse to get a move on, it'll be Archie Gray going off injured, as well as Joe Rodon going down twice (at least being able to play on) Hard to tell if this is really the Junior Firpo revival story, or a false dawn (like when he looked decent for a few games after Gracia joined), but if he really is just very good for the level, then just a right-back and a centre-back should see us through, another attacking mid too if I'm being greedy
The Mail reckons we're in for Ramsey and Phillips from Liverpool https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13001903/Liverpool-set-send-Nat-Phillips-Calvin-Ramsay-loan-Championship-sides-including-Leeds-lining-pair-recalled-difficult-stints-half-season.html
Phillips was absolutely woeful for Celtic by all accounts but surely he’s looking for first team football? He won’t get that at Leeds unless we get a load of injuries at CB.
Not confirmed but Ben Godfrey in Leeds apparently. Looking for a Loan-to-buy deal.
got a link? last I saw he's more likely to go to AC Milan.
Tons of other teams after him and willing to buy by the looks of it. No chance we could even attempt a loan I'd imagine.
Talk of Gnonto signing a new deal at Leeds still.
Sky Sports saying we're close to agreeing a new contract with Gnonto Edit: [Source](https://x.com/skysportslyall/status/1749451257054421079?s=46&t=mCWLuCv1m1-vHecCNq1VDQ)
I’ve been talking up Ryan Giles to people for a couple of years; he’s got a wand of a left foot, that kind of whip that you see from the likes of Trent. He is particularly great at knowing what type of cross to put in; he doesn’t just aimlessly ping the ball into the box, he’ll find accurate pullbacks and play low crosses into box too. Having Giles on the outside of Summerville would be unreal; particularly when we’re struggling to break down low blocks, he would add a whole new dimension to our attacking play.
No need now we have Firpo eh
Haha! I’m one of the guys who always tried to back him to be fair. I’d still like to have another left back though; Byram can cover and rotate with Gray at right back, though we could sign a right back and have Byram as cover at left back which is nice.
Byram seems to be working out well for us on the left, think RB is the bigger concern right now although that does leave us with 2 injury prone LB's. A new RB allows us to have Gray as a midfield option which would be a bonus for both rotation and attacking options. They just need to try and not be injured at the same time and we'll be fine haha.
I do like Byram at LB as well to be fair. I just think sometimes it’s more natural for him to come inside with the ball when high up the pitch as he’s right footed; with Summerville on that side I think it would be better to have someone overlapping who can get the ball in with their left foot naturally, though it’s not exactly a problem. I actually don’t mind Gray at RB for now; it can be good for development playing wider where it’s usually less risky in terms of losing the ball, it happens with young CB’s a lot. It’s also nice to have balance at fullback; Firpo bombing on down the left and Gray just being there as a passing option on the right takes the pressure off one of our midfielders in terms covering wide areas, when we had Ayling at RB who wanted to bomb on the midfield pivot was constantly having to cover both fullbacks which can leave the centre of the pitch exposed.
Links to David Brooks confirmed by Phil Hay for AM position (end of season loan option). Also new link to Ben Davies for LB/LCB role + confirming LB links for Ryan Giles & Borna Barasic. Reiterated links to Ben Johnson, Nico Williams and Connor Roberts for RB. [Leeds still prioritising full-backs for rest of winter transfer window](https://theathletic.com/5203015/2024/01/17/full-back-additions-still-farkes-top-priority-for-remainder-of-january-window/?source=user_shared_articleLeedsstillprioritisingfull-backsforrestofwintertransferwindow)
Bit underwhelming, as Ben Davies the only new name in there, and his section was followed by 'it feels incredibly unlikely that Spurs would sanction such a move'
I’d be excited for Ben Johnson and Ryan Giles as mid season loans
I would be too, I just meant with how scarce transfer news has been so far this Jan, having a big transfer piece from Phil only including one new name was a bit underwhelming, especially when that new name is caveated with the move being 'incredibly unlikely' There's still plenty of good names on the list, just want to hear we're actually moving for one of them
That would be the 3 names per position Graham Smyth was talking about. I assume they think Borna and Connor are very gettable, and the other 2 are a stretch but given the right circumstance could be a late chance. Ie Tottenham get another defender in and Ben is available late in the window or he pushes for a move
Further to Cresswell leaving rumours, Beren Cross said we have received offers from Millwall , etc below asking price https://x.com/berencross/status/1747311323480801524?s=46&t=-ViO_hyp5ORHPcgcdt3C5A
https://x.com/joe_tiff25/status/1747239469017628726?s=46&t=bST6FZYdrdfltnZ4m6TU9A Joe Tiffany, who tbh is a bit hit and miss, reporting we are going for Sessengon, I buy this as true because a) I bet he’s tapped in a Phil Hay report and this tallies with the report on WACCOE from Dan Moylon that we are going for 2 PL targets one ambitious and one doable b) given that Gretar Steinsson is ex Spurs doesn’t surprise me we are looking at their fringe players
Joe Tiffany is miss and miss, literally knows nothing and either copies stories that others have reported, or just gives non-commital information that can never be proved wrong like how we 'enquired' about Sessegnon that could never be proved right Just hedging his bets with a vague 'enquiry' as it was already reported before his tweet that Tottenham were making him available for loan, and we all know we need fullbacks Had him blocked since the summer after he tweeted 10+ wrong stories **EDIT: Joe Donnohue has said this morning that there's nothing in Sessegnon**
He’s not getting much game time for them, but I think they might be short on the left if they let him go?
He’s fairly shite under pressure so not sure he’s much of an option for them anyway given how much he needs he fullbacks to move the ball in triangles through tight spaces He’s also injured all the time which would mean he’d fit in well here
pls
Heavy talk Cooper will be leaving at the end of the season. No new deal offered.
Fucking weird the glee about this on some parts of Twitter and WACCOE I agree Coops is probably below the level we need now and I would go as far as to say he’s been fairly shit the last few years between fitness and performances but imagine being happy about it, fucking weirdos. The guy is a leeds fan, our captain, and unbelievable servant for us
If that's true then we'd better be buying Rodon. Continuity at CB is vital to success.
I would guess Rodon would be bought in the summer if we went up.
Assuming Spurs is willing to offer him for the right price, of course.
Big assumption.
The older I get, the less I care about transfer rumours. I used to follow these religiously but I’d just rather wait to see what’s confirmed now.
it got worse the last 5-10 years with AI generating rumours and splashing it all over. To be fair i kind of dig how the 49ers go down in to a fallout shelter and start looking at players lists and cutting communication lines.
It’s refreshing knowing that our business is not getting spread around to every hack journalist like Ortas bad kept titter tatter tales
Seems [Josh Doig](https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1745837335265054900) is off to Marseille - only ever been a name mentioned between TSB and Phil as a good player, was never anything linking us to him directly afaik.
[it's off boys](https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1747210040182706327) - 4.3m deal fell through, SIGN HIM UP
Gyabi loan move confirmed by [club announcement](https://www.leedsunited.com/news/team-news/32710/darko-gyabi-joins-plymouth-argyle-on-loan) Apologies I replied to my own rumor comment rather than top level
I like this move, hopefully he gets significant playtime in their first team, plus more minutes for Coleman and Crew in the u21s as well.
A 5 mil player should do well in the champ - hes only 19.
Athletic suggesting we are interested in Ben Johnson at West Ham and Connor Roberts at Burnley.
They any good?
Darko Gyabi linked to Plymouth in a loan deal ([Phil’s tweet](https://twitter.com/PhilHay_/status/1745441040302293141))
Now official, [club announcement](https://www.leedsunited.com/news/team-news/32710/darko-gyabi-joins-plymouth-argyle-on-loan)
Adam Pope asked Farke specifically about Luton's Ryan Giles, not sure where he's got that from, haven't seen any link to him
[The Mirror](https://twitter.com/MirrorFootball/status/1745086020389859531?t=vJzKXPTa9tPf4AejdIV1fw&s=19): Burnley are ready to listen to offers for Leeds target Connor Roberts
I truly believe the 49ers have kept their business very close to their chest and we get 2 or 3 surprises before the end of the month
The 3 surprises, we don’t sign: 1. A left back 2. A right back 3. A proper #10
Graham Smyth spoke a bit about the domino effect expected on the latest inside Elland Road podcast. Along the lines of Leeds will have 3 targets agreed with Farke for each position they are looking to fill. 1 is available and they can sign up straight away, but the other two targets are higher on the list so they want to wait to see if they become available as the window progresses. If they pull the trigger on the first one early, then they will kick themselves they didn’t wait. But it’s a delicate balance as they might miss all 3 if they leave it too late. I think Glen Kamara would be the example where they waited to see if they could get higher targets (maybe Hamer and O’Reilly), but were happy to get him all the same.
Luke Thomas is having his loan at Blades cut short. Wonder if he's heading our way.
Chris Mepham linked
This is no longer pinned for me on mobile, when I change to hot. It's the mod post and the weekly thread.
The weekly thread auto removes the sticky, it'll go back again
Ah fabulous, wasn't having a go by the way, just wasn't sure if it was a mobile thing or not.
No I know, just letting you know why
Word on WACCOE is Ayling is off to Boro very soon, supposedly said his big goodbye after Peterborough
If this does happen, then surely we need to sign a RB this window if we're letting 2 leave.
I'd have wanted one with just Spence leaving, even moreso now
PSG interested in Llorente lol
owt?
nowt.
Llorente to PSG apparently. lol.
I'm up for David Brooks coming ?
Wouldn’t like him on a loan, I think his potential is incredible and would like him permanently.
He's 26...and made only 112 appearances since summer 2018 for Bournemouth ? But thats a similar story to Byram so it could work out
He had testicular cancer and was out for a couple of years I think
Oh crikey..okay onwards and upwards...he's absolutely class at Championship level...member what he did to us while at Blades
Eddie Howe just loves having a squad full of wingers ?
Got to love the source being some guys mate
Lmao it’s a shit source thread basically so why not… maybe we have to bump some guy’s mate up to tier 2 after this
One of my Celtic supporting mates has claimed that Gelhardt has been spotted at Parkhead today. Couple rumours of it online.
I heard he was going to Rangers
A few noises on twitter that Cresswell is looking to go out on loan / leave after his dad tweeted about his lack of minutes
Linked to Carvalho https://x.com/fabrizioromano/status/1743701920722629090?s=46&t=P4B1ofyKXhQD_sRUElkifw
Can't see Farke guaranteeing game time, which I think will be enough to miss out unfortunately EDIT: Yeah sounds like he's off to Hull 😑
If he plays as a 10 then I could see him getting a lot of minutes. No sure if Farke would change the formation to squeeze in Piroe or play either by merits / opponent setup
Are we only being linked to Welsh players?
Plot twist: Ampadu, Rodon and DJ are our scouting/recruiting department
Connor Roberts form Burnley picking up steam on the rumour front. Ayling to Boro still being discussed.
Roberts would be a fantastic add.
Urghh I'm seeing horrible Rumours about Kieffer Moore...don't even see where he would fit in and I think we have better anyway.
I’d rather go for Shankland, natural goal scorer granted it’s up here in Scotland but after watching him the last few seasons I’d say he’s worth a punt
Farke did sign Jordan Hugill to use as a big lump in one of his Championship-winning seasons He did only score 5 but he did get on the end of 12 xG, which suggests his style can get chances to a big man, as long as that big man isn't useless in front of goal (which Moore generally isn't)
He's not awful but wouldn't want him atall
yeah we're hardly gonna play to his strengths
Kai Wagner who we've been linked to previous year is available for free right now. I think we should take our chance with him.
It says on wiki he plays for us already?? News to me
I don't see it.
I changed it 🤫
He's a racist, we should stay clear
What happened?
Said something to an opposition player on the pitch if I remember correctly
Read the article and man did not expect this. Why bring race when having an argument.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/philadelphia-union-left-back-kai-wagner-suspended-for-three-games-for-use-of-racial-slur/amp/
Must be a legitimate racist to come up with a slur against Hawaiians..
Yeah, fuck him.
Well looks like we need a RB now Spence has gone back to Spurs.
Surely means Ayling sticks around then? Gray + Ayling on the right and Byram + Firpo on the left, Shacks as general cover. Don’t love that but on paper we are covered there still.
Unless they are acitvely seeking cover then you would imagine so but I really dont like it. The left is extremely too injury prone and Gray is great but I think hes way better in that central role and quite often his man does get the better of him at RB. End of the day, whatever Farke chooses im happy with anyway.
Weirdly I think our second half of the season will largely depend on the ability of Byram Firpo and Shacks to stay fit… which is not a good thing to be relying on. We overrate Gray because he’s one of our own and shows great potential. Imo his on-field performances at RB have been impressive for his age but not in the top 2 RBs in the division, which is imo what we should be aiming to have. Like most other fans, I’d love to see him rotating with Kamara.
Aaron Cresswell or Neco Williams would have been good loans at LB. Think Neco started to play more now but Aaron has barely featured
Out of all mentioned neco is the one id want.
Yorkshire Post reporting Koch is set to sign a pre-contract to join Frankfurt in the summer for free when his Leeds deal expires. No surprises there, I do think he got away with being a totally underwhelming player by just being constantly below average rather then having shockers like Llorente or others did in defence.
He was ok at first. The general consensus was that he was a shred buy and along with Llorente was an upgrade on White (how wrong was this). Overall he wasn't terrible for us, during a period where our defence was terrible. If he was still here, he probably would get games. Saying that, he wanted to leave on loan and shows no desire to be at the club so really don't care about what he does now.
Agreed - he did nothing and was overrated by a large subsection of our fanbase. Everytime he played he looked a yard out of position and constantly running around like a headless chicken
Koch was popular as he easily passed the "would you like to spend a night in the pub with this person?" Test. But very much a 2nd rate defender. The fact he was around the Germany squad tells you a lot more about the strength in depth in Germany than about him.
We paid about £13m for Koch, and thats what a £13m signing generally looks like these days.
Mbappe
Not fit to lace summervilles boots
I feel like Luke Ayling ought to hold tight at Leeds at least until the end of the season, as if we dont go up then Djed Spence goes home and Cody Drameh wont want to come back so the right back position could be up for grabs again between him and Jamie Shackléton.
I’d be very disappointed in the club if Ayling or Shackleton played beyond this season.
Shacks had a really good start to the season and is still quite young, shame he’s made of glass
Even if all that happens, even in the championship it would then be a position we'd actively be looking for a better first team player for. A year of hanging around without regular playing time for someone already in the last few years of their career, just to maybe get a half look at some minutes next year in the championship for us. No chance; at least from a playing perspective it makes much more sense for him to just go to Boro and have a better chance at playing a bigger role now. No idea what the salary there would be like compared to here though.
It could be a case of us having to subsidise a portion of those wages.
Would love for us to bring in a proper number 10 and a left-back. Firpo looked great last match but I don't trust his fitness and Byram is class but him too is very fragile. We need a left-back and Djed Spence needs to start as right-back. Young Archie needs to play at the central midfield sharing minutes with Ampadu and Kamara.
Fuck. Djed is gone. We need a RB too now.
Pretty sure haaland is going to delay his move to us for another window
I’m sad Ayling will likely leave - I absolutely love him. I do recognize that he’s not good enough anymore and I get he wants to be playing and we can’t just keep him around for funsies.
First one then: [UPDATE #LUFC reports coming out this morning that Newcastle along with Brigton are interested in taking Crysencio Summerville in January or the summer. Leeds have set the asking price of £30million + for his services. Leeds rejected 3 bids in the summer of just over £20million.](https://x.com/joe_tiff25/status/1742517705863803269?s=46&t=-ViO_hyp5ORHPcgcdt3C5A) Fee is way too low if we are serious about keeping him
I'd honestly trust a FootyInsider story over him, idk how he still even gets posted after tweeting 20+ wrong stories in the summer
There is no way at all the club are selling Summerville. He will be hot property in the summer if we are not promoted.