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United boss set for emergency deals
Sanchez Watt
After the transfer window comes the emergency loan market and a reprieve of sorts for Leeds United.
A week on from a “bad day at the office” and a failed attempt to round off his summer transfers, Simon Grayson has joined the queue for short-term signings from the Premier League.
The Football League’s loan window – a system designed to circumnavigating FIFA’s restrictive rules on transfers – has been used expansively by Grayson in almost three years as United’s manager, with mixed results. On this occasion, it is his means of atoning for August’s unsatisfactory conclusion.
Grayson talked of three potential signings “more or less done and dusted” in the final hours of the summer window but the plain reality of August 31 was that Leeds sold Max Gradel, the club’s player of the year, and made no additions to their squad.
Only five materialised in the window as a whole. The frustration Grayson admitted to was shared by a fanbase watching his every move and already riled by United’s limited transfer activity.
In the absence of any further deals, the club’s manager will defer to the emergency window which opened to Football League clubs this morning.
Surplus
The temporary market was teed up by Premier League sides declaring official 25-man squad lists last Friday, confirming which of their players are eligible to take part in the first half of their domestic season and which are surplus to requirements.
Only Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City omitted established Premier League footballers from their lists – among them former Leeds players Danny Pugh and Rob Hulse – and the offerings from the top flight consist predominantly of young professionals, the likes of whom Grayson has dabbled with repeatedly in the past.
The United manager has negotiated no fewer than 18 emergency loans in his time at Elland Road, a roll beginning with striker Liam Dickinson and ending with Tottenham Hotspur’s Jake Livermore.
Certain deals, like that which brought Eric Lichaj to Leeds from Aston Villa in February, made the case for temporary signings. Others suggested that short-term solutions are no substitute for permanent acquisitions.
Pugh has been swiftly linked with Leeds, the club he joined from Manchester United in 2004 and left two years later. He is known to have been among Grayson’s targets on the last day of the summer transfer window but proved unattainable as Stoke worked until shortly before FIFA’s 11pm deadline to sign Winston Palacios, Peter Crouch and Cameron Jerome.
Stoke manager Tony Pulis reluctantly excluded Pugh from his 25-man group, admitting that the 28-year-old was a solid squad member who had fallen victim of Premier League rules. Of the experienced players sidelined by Stoke and QPR, Pugh will be one the more sought-after.
It remains to be seen whether Leeds follow up their prior interest in Pugh by taking him from Britannia Stadium on a short-term loan but his attributes would appear to suit Grayson’s needs.
He is a recognised midfielder who can also play at left-back, a position which lies vacant with Aidan White banned for Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace.
With Ben Parker injured, Darren O’Dea moved from centre-back to cover the left side of defence following White’s dismissal at Ipswich Town on August 27. It is one of a number of areas requiring attention.
As Grayson admitted last week, emergency loans are a less reliable option for Football League bosses than standard, temporary deals. Any players he signs in the current market will come to Leeds for a maximum of 93 days, a strict limit which would see deals struck today expire in early December, at a time when both FIFA’s transfer window and the emergency loan market are closed.
New signings will also be subject to a recall clause after 28 days with United, a threat which Leeds avoided when a recent injury to Wolverhampton Wanderers’ forward Sylvan Ebanks-Blake raised the possibility of Wolves cutting short Andy Keogh’s loan at Elland Road. Keogh, however, joined Leeds on a half-season contract last month and the nature of his loan denied Wolves the right to recall him early.
Speaking ahead of the August deadline, Grayson said: “You know where you are with standard loans.
“The player is yours for as long as you’ve taken him and there’s no recall clause. You can’t bring players back. With emergency loans, clubs can recall the player after 28 days so you prefer to do standard loans if you can.”
Grayson is nonetheless under pressure to exploit the Football League’s window after a frantic and unsuccessful end to the transfer window.
The last-minute sale of Gradel to St Etienne stripped Grayson’s side of their established left winger and a planned approach for Lichaj fell foul of a serious injury suffered by the American defender.
United’s interest in Pugh indicates that Grayson is still not satisfied with a midfield which is light in central positions, particularly since Michael Brown suffered a calf strain before United’s 2-2 draw at West Ham United.
Brown was one of a number of players who Grayson hoped to see recover from injury before this weekend’s meeting with Palace, along with Parker, Leigh Bromby and Luciano Becchio.
The international break gave Becchio the chance to feature for Leeds’ reserves on Tuesday and put himself in contention for a recall on Saturday, though Grayson said the striker was “still a bit off being 100 per cent fit.”
United’s manager was still confident enough in Becchio’s condition to allow him to play for an hour of a 4-0 win over Hull City, despite an original plan to use him for 45 minutes. His run-out could earn him a place in the bench against Palace, potentially his first appearance in a matchday squad since April.
Bromby also played against Hull, and Billy Paynter’s run-out has given the striker a chance of reclaiming a place in Grayson’s plans, a week-and-a-half after he attracted an offer from Championship leaders Brighton.
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Comments
There are 11 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
billysam
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 07:58 PM"Unfortunately because we are so incompetent at nailing proper transfers of decent players, this is what we are forced to rely on" sja I doubt if its incompetence but stinginess on the part of our great white bearded "saviour". We wait til the last minute to sign players Grayson's been after or so he says and then they go elsewhere cos they're getting more dough simple really. Bates does not want us in the Premiership while he's at the helm and he will just bring the club along until a buyer comes along. Nobody's even sniffing though which is not surprising given this man's shadowy past. I suspect that the skeletons are well buried and will only surface when he's out of the way. Then we'll have more heartbreak because of what the FA will uncover and we will be plunged down the leagues. I can almost smell the rot from here and its the nightmare of all nightmares.
LeedsBulldog
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 05:10 PMForsell has signed till end of season - nice one leeds! MOT 4 EVA WHEREVER WHENEVER WHATEVER!
originalkoppite
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 02:49 PMsja...Yobo has gone to Turkey and Rednose has spent £10m on worse players than Dicko and Livermore. There are no guarantees when you sign a new player whether he costs a fortune or comes on loan.
sja
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 11:24 AMThe two names that top and tail this list of Grayson emergency-loan signings say it all. LIAM DICKINSON and JAKE LIVERMORE. Oh dear oh dear. Says it all about emergency loans. Unfortunately because we are so incompetent at nailing proper transfers of decent players, this is what we are forced to rely on. Not really sure what Pugh would add to the squad. Too lightweight if you ask me. Then again he's a midfielder who can play at full back so would suit Grayson's round pegs in square holes approach. What need someone in there who can run all day and has strength and power. Middlesbrough recently made a great signing in Faris Haroun, a Belgium midfielder, who's about 6ft 3ins and would have fitted that bill perfectly. Check him out on YouTube if you don't believe me. Notts Forest have also this morning been linked with a loan for Craig Dawson, a centre back from WBA who is meant to be quality. And how about Joseph Yobo at Everton - is he not out of contract? What we need is QUALITY, not just bit-part players to bolster a squad lacking in numbers. Can I also add that Michael Brown is finished. Looks like his best days are well behind him to me. Has been anonymous in the games he's played this season. Ben Parker is another whose time is surely up at LUFC. Send him out on loan or just cancel his contract - put the poor lad out of his misery. Also, if we are getting Forssell I hope that means we are punting Paynter out on loan too, hopefully with a view to selling him in January. If Grayson gets LUFC into the top ten this year he will have worked an absolute miracle with the paucity of resources he has and the huge holes in the squad.
paz
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 11:22 AMNot Sanchez Watts!
Captain Steve
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 11:10 AMI'm a bit surprised at folk thinking DP will be a good addition, he puts the effort in but he never really impressed me when he was at ER before. Maybe he has got better but the basic fact is he was not deemed to be good enough to be a squad (never mind starting eleven) player at Stoke. Sigh. Never mind that we have shedloads of central defenders, we NEED a quality centre half. Far more than we need midfielders who can play at left back or centre forwards!
Sofa Head
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 10:32 AMGrayson's nads are clearly on the line here. Bates spelled out that Simon identifies the players and Shaun Harvey does the deals. The chairman accepts no responsibility himself and doesn't sound too impressed with the squad building so far...
LeedsBulldog
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 09:26 AM2. yes pugh would be good but we have to remember that a permanent signing of this player should have been done weeks ago as i think ER knew max was on his way - hence no new contract offer even though ER said his demands were unreasonable - missing max's attacking qualitys may or may not show in the palace game.i really hope we manage without him as we need 6 points from the next 2 home games to keep in touch,MOT 4 EVA WHEREVER!
luvmeteam
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 09:20 AMScambling for leftovers for are starving bellies,leftovers that can be torn away after 28days.A load of s---.
dkershaw4
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 09:09 AMWould be good to bring in Pugh who would be a good player for us at this level and is very good on the left wing, i still think a centre mid is needed incase we get any injuries as we only really have Brown, Adam and Howson as good first choice players ... Would of been good too get Rob Hulse and let Billy go but maybe that will have to wait until Jan
LeedsBulldog
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 08:41 AMEMERGENCY DEALS = talk about leaving it to the last minute.im dying to see what "superstars" arrive at our great club - IF ANY!! but i will look forward to reading the excuses - AGAIN.MOT.
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