Leeds United Q and A - ownership picture, Cody Gakpo chance, transfer issues and predicted finish
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The Whites sit ninth in the Premier League after six games and Jesse Marsch has had plenty of evidence to back up the positivity he’s brought to the table since arriving to replace Marcelo Bielsa.
New signings Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson and Marc Roca have caught the eye, while Luis Sinisterra is starting to show that the goal threat he posed in Holland will follow him into the English top flight.
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Hide AdMarsch’s squad for the Brentford game boasted more experience on the bench than any in recent memory and senior players like Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper are on their way back from injuries to rejoint he fray.
But big questions remain, not least after that deadline day and the confusion that arose over how much Leeds were able to invest in a striker this summer.
We took 37 of your questions on all manner of Elland Road subjects, including the stadium itself and Leeds’ plans for it.
Leeds United post-transfer window Q and A
Key Events
- Leeds made big squad changes in the transfer window
- Deadline day was messy and dramatic
- Jesse Marsch’s new era is well underway but inconsistency has struck
- Big questions for the ownership
@Leechy1987: Do you know what the squad will be doing during the World Cup break? Assuming one or two get called up, will the others have a break or continue training?
There will be some sort of break, I’m sure, but I could also see a training camp of sorts for those staying put. It’s valuable time in which to work with players and return them to peak fitness. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if clubs, Leeds included, headed off somewhere for a week or two.
@FrankieS215: Any truth to the rumor Leeds are targeting Philadelphia LB Kai Wagner in the winter window? Former Aaronson teammate and top LB in MLS.
There has been enough Stateside noise to suggest there is real interest from Leeds. One to watch but as I’ve said elsewhere, we don’t yet know if Leeds will approach the January window differently now that there’s a new manager in place.
@lufc_opinions: Do you think there’s any chance that James was let go as Marsch believes Summerville is the better player and sees him more in his plans, with narrow wingers I personally don’t see how James fits in the current set-up.
While there were financial considerations - Daniel James’ wage frees up significantly more cash than Crysencio Summerville’s would - it was evidently decided that James was expendable. Summerville is seen as a big prospect and to me he seems like a player more likely to make something happen in the final third. What’s more, Summerville’s game time expectation will be lower than James, who has a World Cup to think about. Of the two of them, James would be less comfortable sitting on the bench, you would think. And given that Jack Harrison, Brenden Aaronson and Luis Sinisterra are plainly going to start most games, it’s difficult to see where the minutes James would want were going to come from.
If one of James and Summerville had to go out, then you can understand why it was James. It’s more difficult to understand why anyone was allowed to leave the attacking line at all, when a senior striker wasn’t added, though.
@GrantPerkinss14: Is there still a push for the U21s to be promoted this year or has it taken a back seat?
There are some incredibly talented youngsters playing in the Under 21s this season, including new boys Sonny Perkins and Darko Gyabi, and everyone at Thorp Arch will have the idea of going straight back up from the PL2 second tier. What may hold them back is the lack of depth in defence - winger Keenan Carole and midfielder Alfie McCalmont have had to play left-back and it wouldn’t take many injuries at all to force Michael Skubala into the Under 18s for cover.
@DeckyQuinn: In your opinion have leeds made huge mistakes in not signing a first team striker and left-back?
It can’t be deemed a mistake until it proves so, but they’ve certainly taken a huge risk with the strike force. Left-back is, at present, slightly less of a concern because Junior Firpo, Pascal Struijk and Leo Hjelde can all cover that position. But I was surprised that a young left-back didn’t come in for the 21s at the very least.
@stevia_nutrient: Why did Marsch get a straight red and not a yellow card?
It was obviously felt that his behaviour and/or language crossed the line between yellow card and red card territory. It was quite spectacular, how far he went, and I’m not sure he was surprised at the colour of the card.
@lukeharrison_96: Any further updates on Dallas recovery process?
Everything we have been told of late has been positive, but that’s not to say he’s going to be back any time soon. It’s a long, long recovery process that will take months yet for him to complete. The good news is that there have been no noises about complications or serious set-backs, which could easily have been the case with such a serious injury.
@JordyP1993: What’s your ideal Download Festival line-up for the anniversary next year?
Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, Slipknot, Bring Me the Horizon, Deftones, Architects, Against Me!, While She Sleeps, Skindred. That would keep me happy.
@Ash_LUFC_: If you were strapped down to a chair and you had to watch 24 hours of Harry Hill’s TV Burp, Strictly Come dancing or Naked Attraction what would you choose?
What happened to you Ash? Why are you like this?
Harry Hill’s TV Burp. Obviously.
@Eoinyboney88: In your opinion which Nu Metal band would best describe the attitude around the squad?
American Head Charge.
@thebl_masri: Who ultimately owns the power in a negotiation, in your opinion: A) the club B) the player C) the agent. If it’s a couple - who?
The last few years in football have suggested it’s the player, but in most cases you can’t really separate them from the agent. If the agent is at all worth their salt then they represent what the player wants.
It is nice to see examples of clubs refusing to bow to player power when a ‘bigger club’ comes calling, or holding out for their valuation rather than what is being offered.
What we saw in the summer with Leeds was the kind of difficulty you run into when a player only wants to go to one specific club. Leeds needed to sell Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha to finance their summer recruitment, so walking away from the negotiating table was not really an option - not if they wanted a happy dressing room or a bigger squad, and in each case there was only one realistic buyer.
In those kinds of circumstances, the buying club, even one with the financial difficulties Barcelona were in, knows they have a strong hand.
@MaherLUFC: Lee and Joe resurrected The Inside ER pod. Are you intending to feature as a guest?
Joe and I did indeed resurrect the Inside Elland Road Podcast this summer and although I was away for a couple of weeks, I made a return last week to record on transfer deadline day. Sadly, transfer deadline day rendered the episode almost entirely useless and we had to can it.
We’ll be back on this week and then every week.
@qvanderlee_: What is your biggest concern with Marsch so far? Despite an ok start to the season, how much longer does he have until “being new” is no longer an excuse for the team’s inconsistent performances?
I don’t know if you can expect consistency straight away from what is quite a new team. I think it’s important to partition last season from this. The summer was a line in the sand, a new start for Marsch with a squad he helped build. We’re still early on in the season and there have been some positive signs and good results. From the Brighton game onward things haven’t been as good, admittedly and a response is needed against Nottingham Forest. I see that as quite an important game now.
My main concern when Leeds stayed up was the style of play and how there were few signs of coherent, attractive attacking football. I didn’t think that Marsch could last long if that remained the case this season and results went against him. My feeling was that only three or four defeats would remove the patience from Elland Road and heap the pressure on. But the summer and pre-season were largely very positive, the squad gelled well in Australia and they did hit the ground running quite well it has to be said. But let’s see where things lie by the end of October.
@jsimpson7_: Who should start on the left? Sinisterra or Jack Harrison, because left is their favourite side?
I think Sinisterra will be dangerous cutting in from the right, in the way Raphinha was. Hopefully to the same degree. I see Harrison remaining on the left.
@ZiaireSZN: Why was Gnonto pushed forward and is he for the first team?
I don’t think Leeds wanted to emerge from the deadline week completely empty handed and, with James’ move to Fulham so advanced, even lighter in attack than they were at the start of the week. If nothing else it would have been a terrible look and a really difficult sell for fans. So they brought the Gnonto deal forward. He will definitely be in contention for a place in the squad but unless Jesse Marsch’s comments on him not being Premier League ready were incorrect, he might not make an impact until he’s been at the club for a whole.
@DanThompson98: Some big shot Athletic journo wrote an interesting article the other day on Marsch’s touchline behaviour, and whether it would impact referee decisions in the future. Where do you stand on Marsch’s temperament - needs to keep his head down, all part of the theatre, or irrelevant to our superb Prem referees?
Mark Halsey assures me that a referee should consider every player or manager to have a clean slate after each game. One would hope that is the truth. I do worry that by being so performative and then being so open about your tactic in press conferences that referees will naturally resist any attempt to be persuaded that they’re giving Leeds a rough time. I also worry that the sight of a manager losing it in such a way on the touchline will put the team’s composure at risk. We all saw late last season how costly it can be when head-loss sets in with those red cards.
@bielsaball79: Leeds became the target of jokes on transfer deadline day, not for the first time, which isn’t a great look for the club. Do you think they’ll put action in place to avoid this again? As much as I support Radrizanni for how he’s moved the club forward in his tenure, surely he has to look at his own social media activity and consider that it has become detrimental to the club’s image.
Andrea Radrizzani’s ‘liking’ of a tweet about Leeds re-entering the race for Cody Gakpo certainly sent some hares running and, with Jesse Marsch plainly sticking to the brief of saying nothing on their transfer deadline day plans, the majority owner put out a Tweet that proved most unfortunate in tone, content and timing. Confirming your belief that Bamba Dieng is going to sign, before he’s even on the plane to England, even if you’re convinced he will be on the flight, is a risky, risky move.
It’s hard to understand the need to do that, particularly when transfer deadline day is exactly the kind of day on which things can go wrong.
As for deadline day and the club’s plans - they believe they had a good window overall and can point to plenty of evidence. Deadline day did not go to plan at all and I’m sure every club sets out to avoid that.
@Mad_Marko: What’s happening with Alfie McCalmont? Surprised he couldn’t find a club, was there really nobody in for him or does he believe he can force his way into first team plans? Also is Stuart McKinstry still in the clubs mind as a prospect or has his time passed without progress? Max Dean too?
I too was surprised McCalmont could not get an EFL move that suited. Even on the back of two disappointing loan spells last season, there was surely a number of League Two sides in the market for a goalscoring central midfielder. It’s a set-back but hopefully come January there will be a gap he can fill in a suitable League One or League Two club.
As for McKinstry, last season did not see him advance in terms of senior reckoning. A good season with Motherwell and plenty of game time could have a big say in what happens next.
Max Dean would lie behind Mateo Joseph and Sonny Perkins right now. He’s only 18 but must grab every opportunity he can. Seems like the kind of player who would relish a scrap, though.