2021 Leeds United wishes - next phase of recruitment, Premier League status, Marcelo Bielsa's deal and a tribute to Eddie Gray

Securing Premier League status is right at the top of Leeds United’s 2021 wishlist but there is so much more that could make it another special year.
MR LEEDS - Eddie Gray, left, pictured with Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear and director of football Victor Orta, endured a heartbreaking 2020 along with so many others, suffering the loss of friends and former colleagues who helped build the club's reputation. Pic: GettyMR LEEDS - Eddie Gray, left, pictured with Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear and director of football Victor Orta, endured a heartbreaking 2020 along with so many others, suffering the loss of friends and former colleagues who helped build the club's reputation. Pic: Getty
MR LEEDS - Eddie Gray, left, pictured with Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear and director of football Victor Orta, endured a heartbreaking 2020 along with so many others, suffering the loss of friends and former colleagues who helped build the club's reputation. Pic: Getty

The Whites are already well on with the job of staying in the top flight and the 23 points they have accrued so far don’t so much hint as strongly suggest that they will finish this season and begin the next one in the same division.

Put simply, Leeds belong. While Marcelo Bielsa’s philosophy might require certain pundits to confront their own ignorance, the Whites have irrefutably attacked with the quality of a Premier League outfit and scored goals worthy of any competition.

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Raphinha’s drive against Everton, the move and the finish for his goal at West Brom, Stuart Dallas and Jack Harrison’s wonderful efforts against Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively and two of Patrick Bamford’s three at Aston Villa were all elite class.

And it is goals that will keep the points tally ticking upward.

Quite whether Leeds can be good enough or consistent enough to push further up the table and stay there remains to be seen, but keeping clean sheets in the last two games without centre-backs Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente or Robin Koch available, is a promising sign that a side who were so good defensively last season can keep goals out this season.

The return to fitness of Cooper and Llorente will be important in the short term, in 2021, even if Luke Ayling and Pascal Struijk have had two very good games in a row at centre-half and Kalvin Phillips has looked close to his very best.

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There will be other injuries and the more strength in depth Bielsa has the better. Just don’t expect him to stop finding unexpected solutions in 2021.

The reality, as we enter January and another transfer window, is that Bielsa is content with his squad, he sees options everywhere he looks and is not demanding additions from director of football Victor Orta.

It would be nice, for fans, to see another new face of course and, as Bielsa himself has explained, you can never rule it out.

“If there is a player that clearly improves the squad then obviously it would be good for the future of the club,” he said.

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If it is a quiet January, then expect Leeds to act again in the summer as they build a Premier League project in stages.

Stage one went well, if it’s to be judged on the success of Raphinha and Rodrigo as new signings and Robin Koch has looked good.

One of the club’s 2021 wishes is to get both Koch and Llorente back fit and proving themselves to be every bit as valuable as the two attackers.

Stage two should strengthen the midfield options – if they were prepared to shell out money on Michael Cuisance last summer then expect the desire to add a midfielder to remain when next summer rolls around – and they might look to add further depth up front and at left-back.

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It is a balancing act, because Bielsa does not favour a large squad, loves and trusts both Stuart Dallas and Gjanni Alioski and sees Leif Davis as an option at left-back too.

Leeds obviously want to keep developing their young talents and new signings could stunt the growth of Davis, Jamie Shackleton et al.

But if this club’s ultimate aim is to become an established Premier League outfit before going on to challenge for European football, then the squad will need to grow, at least a little.

The signings of Koch and Llorente showed no disrespect to Liam Cooper and, as injuries have taken hold, have done little to harm Pascal Struijk’s progression and game time, so a new arrival at left-back would be no slight on Dallas or Alioski.

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And it would make sense to have more quality in place to compete with Patrick Bamford. Tyler Roberts’ time might yet come and there have been glimpses of the talent we know is there, but he has struggled to make an impact.

At the other end of the pitch, as much as Bielsa has backed Kiko Casilla since the events of last season, on and off the pitch, a large swathe of Leeds fans would like to see him replaced as cover for Illan Meslier, for reasons footballing and non.

The big assumption in all of this, of course, is that Bielsa remains in place.

That is joint top of the 2021 wishlist for Leeds and what makes it believable is that he will surely want a reunion with the fans who helped made his job so attractive, pre-Covid, and a proper Leeds United Premier League experience. He deserves it after all.

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Beyond that, fans back at Elland Road, first-team opportunities for exciting talents like Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood, more game time for the youngsters out on loan, the return to fitness of Gaetano Berardi and Adam Forshaw, headlines for all the right reasons, further investment from the 49ers and futher commercial growth to help Leeds finance their grand plans, are all desirable throughout the next 12 months.

Lastly, a fitting tribute to Mr Leeds United, Eddie Gray and his incredible life of service to his club wouldn’t go amiss either.

The legend, like so many, suffered a heartbreaking 2020.

He lost friends and former colleagues who helped him build the club’s fearsome reputation. Leeds have an opportunity and an obligation to ensure he knows his value in 2021.