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Leeds United: Vokes happy to bide his time
Sam Vokes will take stock of his position in January before deciding whether his transfer to Leeds United could be more than a short-term experience.
The striker joined Leeds on a two-and-a-half-month loan last weekend, in time to make his full debut against Norwich City on Monday night, and the deal has freed Vokes from the frustrating position he was in at parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Vokes is highly regarded at Molineux but the pressure on Wolves to retain their Premier League status this season has seen manager Mick McCarthy employ a selection policy which has included the 20-year-old only sporadically.
United moved to exploit his lack of involvement after Luciano Becchio injured ankle ligaments at the start of this month, and Wolves were more than happy to agree to a transfer which will keep Vokes at Elland Road until January 1.
The Welsh international is unclear about his chances of greater exposure at Molineux during the second half of the term and he is keen to ensure that his form before Christmas gives him as many options as possible when the subject of his future is discussed once more.
Vokes said: "At my age and in the position I'm in at the moment, you have to be open-minded about what the future could hold.
"You've got to do what's best for you and best for your career.
"I'm not exactly sure what Wolves are planning for me and maybe this (the deal at Leeds) could be more of a long-term thing. I'm not ruling that out at this stage but we'll see where I am in January.
"I think the important thing is to perform well enough and consistently enough to make sure that Leeds are interested in keeping me when this deal ends.
"The only way to open doors here or anywhere else is to make an impression game after game and that's what I hope to do. After that, we'll see what happens."
United's manager, Simon Grayson, has little doubt that Vokes will prove a valuable addition, predicting that the striker would "contribute majorly" during the length of his loan deal.
Leeds have not set a timescale for the return of Becchio, who avoided any broken bones when he twisted an ankle against Charlton Athletic but has been unavailable since due to injured ligaments, and Vokes has provided cover in a position that Grayson refused to compromise with.
The 39-year-old had the option of fielding one of Tresor Kandol, Mike Grella, right, or Enoch Showunmi alongside Jermaine Beckford during Monday's match against Norwich, but he worked instead to sign Vokes in time for the fixture at Elland Road, tying up the deal 48 hours earlier.
Vokes knows League One intimately having completed a full season in that division with Bournemouth in 2007 and 2008.
It was that campaign, when he scored 12 goals for a club who were relegated, that earned him a transfer to Wolves at the age of 18.
Though his opportunities at Molineux have come mostly as a substitute, he has established himself as a full Welsh international, a fact that was not lost on Grayson when he began scanning the loan market for a possible recruit.
Grayson said: "With Luciano injured, we just felt we needed another striker in and Sam's a proven player, an international and a young kid with a lot of talent.
"I'm very grateful to Mick for letting him come to us, and the lad turned down three or four Championship clubs to come here. The attraction of this football club means people can do that. He'll contribute to us majorly over the weeks and months that he's with us."
Derby County and Coventry City were both unsuccessful in attempting to sign Vokes earlier in the season, before his move to Leeds materialised.
Doncaster Rovers were among the Championship clubs who vied with United for his signature, but Vokes admitted the chance to play for a side at the top of their league had influenced his decision. He also had good memories of Elland Road having played there for Bournemouth a year and a half ago.
Grayson did not take time to introduce Vokes gently, thrusting him into his starting line-up for a crucial game against Norwich, a club who are highly likely to influence the play-off positions in League One.
The intensity of United's campaign was demonstrated by a gripping match which Leeds settled with a goal from Beckford three minutes into injury-time, and with yesterday's visit to Millwall – a traditionally fractious fixture – followed by Tuesday night's game at Bristol Rovers, Vokes could not have timed his arrival at a more pivotal stage of the season.
Vokes said: "Playing in games like this is massive for me, especially because I've seen so little football this season. I came here because I liked the idea of being involved with a club of this size who are fighting for something, and the Norwich game summed that up.
"The reaction of the crowd and the players when Beckford scored was brilliant.
"It goes without saying that when you play for a club like Leeds, you don't give up and keep going to the end and I've seen that attitude already. I think we probably all thought the game was heading for a 1-1 draw but there's always a chance that you'll sneak something at the end if you're the team who are forcing the pace.
"That's obviously the mentality of the other players here and I'll be expected to take that on board."
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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