Good Morning. It's Friday 28th August, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road. Lazio reject 30m Leeds approach Serie A giants Lazio have knocked back an opening €30m bid from Leeds for 23yo centre back Luiz Felipe according to La Lazio Siamo Noi. The talented 6ft 2' defender joined the Stadio Olimpico side back in 2016. He played 26 times last season for the Rome outfit. Lazio President Claudio Lotito wants €40m (around £35.8m) to part with the Brazilian born star. Felipe has previously been on the radar of PSG and Barcelona! He joins a long list of players on Marcelo Bielsa's most wanted list. Also on Bielsa's shipping list from Lazio include Jordan Lukaku, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Luis Alberto, and Ciro Immobile. Leeds Utd Journalist Phil Hay believes that German International Robin Koch is a far more viable acquisition than Luiz Felipe having been monitoring the SC Freiburg centre back for some time. please log in to view this image Leeds hierarchy careful to follow Bielsa's wishes Bielsa himself used to manage Lazio, albeit it turned out to be one of the shortest tenures in the history of Management. The Argentine quit 48 hours after officially being named Manager, though had been in charge as caretaker boss for some months.. Bielsa explained that Lazio had agreed to chase seven targets, none of whom looked like signing. He was told that five of those deals would be done by the first week of July, a deadline Lazio missed completely. At the time, Bielsa was quoted as saying “For my style of work, we needed to have these players arrive in a timely manner to train,” There seems to be a much better working relationship between Bielsa and Victor Orta, who was instrumental in bringing 'El Loco' to Elland Road. When Leeds missed out on Daniel James, it was clear for everyone to see that the Whites had been shafted at the 1th hour. Similarly, Leeds could not have done much more in their pursuit of Southampton striker Che Adams. Perhaps they deliberately went over the top just to prove to Bielsa that they were doing everything in their means. please log in to view this image Mills - Leeds need to watch their spending Former Leeds favourite Danny Mills believes Leeds need to be careful not to overspend in the transfer market. The 43yo pundit remembers all to well the financial meltdown Leeds suffered both during and after his tenure:- "When you step up to the Premier League, when you don't get as many chances, you have to be a little bit more clinical," "You need somebody that is going to put the ball in the back of the net. “With Bielsa’s scouting network and (Director of football) Victor Orta’s Spanish connections, Rodrigo will have been a player they will have been very, very aware of in terms of his abilities and what he can do and he will certainly come in and add quality to what is there already. “I think it’s a good move, it’s a positive move and I think you have to trust Bielsa and his team when you look at the other acquisitions that he has made. “Up to now they have all been pretty much very very good.” "You are talking about another wide player that possibly can score goals," said Mills of Kent. "It would still be a little bit of a gamble, he's not proven in the Premier League as yet. "Also how much money have Leeds got to spend, how much do they want to spend? "Do they want Rodrigo and then do they want Ryan Kent and then do they want somebody else and do they need a centre half. "Suddenly you are getting upwards north of 60, 70 million. I'm not sure Leeds want to go that far. "They will be picky and choosy about who they sign and maybe getting Rodrigo in puts to bed the Ryan Kent deal." please log in to view this image
Morning all Agents are just linking every player to us, half the time it could just be that we ask if are they available and at what price? They tell us yes or no and the agent informs us of their wage and we move swiftly on. The delay in signing a CB means we are probably starting with Struijk in defence against Liverpool
There is a fine line of getting the players you need and overspending. I hope we get it right this summer.
I think Filipe was definitely on our radar but I don't believe much else that I read from third rate foreign papers. Phil Hay seems to think we're too far on with the Koch deal for there to be anything in the Filipe rumours. Danny Mills doesn't know anything more than any of us but he's getting a lot of air time out of Leeds being promoted.
Morning all, Nice cheap and easy sound bite for Mills to try and keep himself relevant. Does he honestly believe this ownership regime is the same as back then?
I remember him walking along the South stand end signing autographs and taking selfies with fans at half time at the Uddersfield match. There seems to be a lot of former players making an appearance since our promotion. Wasn't Mills one of those players who the club was paying some of their wages even though they were playing else where.
The old sayings are the true ones ... Rats leaving a sinking ship!!!! It’s not sinking now, but sorry your not welcome aboard, that also goes for Hasslebank, Robinson, Beckford, Mills etc I know every so often he gets some stick but Whelan has been very partisan even when in old Div 2. MOT
I do seem to remember Bates banning a lot of ex players getting freebie tickets (barring a couple) saying they would have to pay like everyone else. I think Mills was one of the few that bought him and his lad season tickets, remember there being a picture of him buying a top for his lad. He has been around the club for a while but now as a job in the media he is seen more. He did as you say take a wage whilst playing elsewhere but that was the deal Risdale made.
Unfortunately with the deaths of Hunter and Cherry there are a couple of vacancies in the Legends hospitality and think we’ll see more of Beckford and a couple more
Morning Shaks, Mills went to Man City and Leeds carried on paying his wages Can't remember him complaining at the time about Leeds wasting money
Wonder what time we get to see the big reveal because it must surely be happening today and as a couple if lads have suggested it could be a big one as Bielsa signs his deal too maybe?
David Prutton is a former player who's a pretty decent pundit/presenter and he doesn't stick his oar in about all things Leeds tbf.
I wasn't really having a dig at him, but the club paying the likes of Keane and Fowlers wages or subsidising them really struck a nerve. It's not like they were poor.
No, I know you weren't mate but even though he took part of his wage from us, he did stick around as a fan when his career had finish, was the only point i was making really.
