Premier League battle with Brazil FA takes new twist, Leeds United's Victor Orta on the summer transfer window

Victor Orta exclusive - 'strange' summer for Leeds United

It was a strange summer for Leeds United director of football Victor Orta but one that ended with what he feels is a stronger squad for Marcelo Bielsa to work with.

“It was a strange summer," Orta told the YEP.

"To be honest I feel this summer reflected more on the Covid crisis than the [last] one because perhaps in the last one we still had the expectation that in a moment the fans would be back [but fans did not return in full at all last season].

“Now there are still fears around the world about the negatives of that so it was a bit of a conservative summer, not only in England, in all the world. The different crises, the TV crisis in France, the situation in Spain with the salary caps, people were trying more to get players they don’t need out, than players they need in.

“When you analyse the big, big movements, with Messi, Sergio Ramos, there is like a domino situation.”

Premier League clubs battle against Brazil takes fresh twist

The Brazilian FA may yet lodge an official FIFA complaint against Premier League clubs who have blocked players from heading away on international duty.

Leeds United's Raphinha is among nine players based in England that were stopped from travelling to Brazil to represent their nation in the current international break.

Top flight teams - barring Aston Villa who struck a deal with Argentina for two of their squad members - halted any travel to South America due to Brazil being on the UK's Covid 'red list', meaning a 10-day quarantine on return would have been mandatory.

According to a report in the Mail, the Brazilian FA may lodge a complaint which could results in players called up banned from playing for their clubs five days after the international break - meaning nine English-based Brazil players could miss the first Premier League game back next week.

It is yet to be seen whether this will be implemented or not and whether any complaint will be officially lodged.

Flores opens up on time with Bielsa

Newly-appointed Godoy Cruz boss Diego Flores says working for Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa taught him to be a better person.

"At the age of 24 I decided that I was going to be a professional coach," he said.

"I studied languages ​​and in 2014, life surprised me, when I had an approach to the coaching staff of Marcelo. I worked with people who taught me to be a better person and gave me a very interesting professional training, where detail, work capacity and the search for perfection are values ​​that represent it."