Good Morning. It's Tuesday 6th July, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road Cornet bid rejected! French outfit Lyon have turned down a £10million bid from Leeds for versatile 24yo Maxwel Cornet. The Ivorian Coast International currently occupies the left back slot at the Groupama Stadium, though in reality Cornet has the flexibility not only to play left back, but on either wing or up front. In six years, he has made 183 appearances, netting 23 times. He is a strong tackler, a beautiful passer of the ball and is great in the air. Leeds have been tracking Cornet for some time, even when Lyon has a 20m price tag slapped on him. Should Leeds go up to 12m (€15m). Many believe that Cornet could be a direct replacement for Costa! Costa or Maxwell? please log in to view this image Is time running out for Cooper With Liam Cooper dropping down the pecking order in the latter parts of last season, do we expect the 29yo to recapture his starting place, and captaincy during the 2021-22 season! Will the arrival of Koch and Llorente, and emergence of Struijk limit his playing time this coming term? Cooper joined the Whites seven years ago, after impressing during a friendly for Chesterfield. is tenure at Elland Road were littered with inconsistencies until the arrival of Bielsa, when the Scot really begun to flourish. How long can he keep it going at the top level? Is it time we parted ways with Cooper. Let's remember, new signing Firpo can also play centre back if needed. If Cooper stays, but plays a smaller part, do we need a new Captain? please log in to view this image Alioski departs with mixed emotions Like him or loathe him, but you couldn't ignore him - Ezgjan Alioski has left Elland Road. Over his four year stay, the mischievous Macedonian clocked up 161 appearances, finding the net 21 times. To give him hid due, he would play anywhere on the pitch given the opportunity, and never whinged once, even if kept out of the starting line up or bought on as a second half substitute. Many were aware of his playful antics on and off the field, but the 29yo also had a big heart, with many using him as a shoulder to cry on. One thing we can all agree on, he may not have been blessed with silky smooth skills, but his never ending running, and effort made up for it in many ways. Alioski has been linked to a host of Turkish clubs including Galatasaray and Besiktas, but may also link up with former striker Caleb Ekuban at Trabzonspor. please log in to view this image
Costa or Maxwell?.... Never been a fan of coffee shops and Maxwell house is dog doo. How good is mr Cornet? Let's hope he has not been blowing his own trumpet. If he arrives hope it's on easy jet and not a posh jet like Junior.
Never seen Cornet play so can’t really comment but we do need an upgrade on Costa/Poveda to challenge Harrison. I think Poveda has time on his side with being so young so could become 4th choice winger. We do need another winger to challenge what we have because Costa and Poveda aren’t currently that. It’s possible that Cooper may become more of a bench player this season and if so I believe Ayling will step up to become captain but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the starting CB pairing or Cooper and Llorente, Cooper had a good season so we have options. If not Cooper it’ll be Struijk due to Bielsa liking a left and right footed CB pairing. Now with Koch in the frame we could see lineup changes with 3 at the back when up against 2 upfront. For me it’s always going to be sad to see a promotion winning player go and he would’ve been a decent squad player and great morale for the dressing room so will definitely be missed but it looks like we have a good upgrade. I wonder if this opens up a squad position for Davis or if Dallas is seen as the LB back up.
Morning all Hoping Costa is on his way simply because he is ineffectual in most games. Yes there is the odd time he is unplayable but not enough and the difference between Costa and Raphinha is massive. When we swap flanks with Raphinha on the left replacing Harrison it just doesnt work and we are unbalanced. So Bielsaball needs solidifying and that means having a winger who can take over from Raphinha or Harrison and at the moment we dont have it. Poveda has the skill but does he have the heart and drive to find some end product. Bringing in Maxwell, Madueke, Lang, Cunha or KK is a must. one of the above named 5 wingers covers a few positions including 9 and 10 with a couple of them. On top of this we should no longer need to buy another winger because in the 23s we now have Amari Miller and Summerville so both need to shine this season and go ahead of Poveda. Getting rid of Cooper is a step too far and he is the heart of our Championship team and the spine. He is always worth a seat on the bench
Young Matt Bogutsz has gone back out on loan to Spain. He flew into Ibiza yesterday where he will spend the next season on loan. I really hope it works out for him this time because he has bags of talent
Appearances per assist or goal. Raphinha = 2.0 (30 apps) Harrison = 2.25 (36) Rodrigo = 2.88 (26) Costa = 3.67 (22) Klich = 3.88 (35) Roberts = 9 (27) Poveda didn't register an assist or goal in 14 appearances. Looks like we are screwed if Rodrigo gets injured playing at 10.
Can't see us getting rid of Cooper and we really don't need too. We have a bunch of 4 CH's who all can fill in times of need. obviously some will get more game time than others but that's how it is. The whole backline now can fill in as a CH if needed. Aswell as a couple taking the DM role if Kalv gets injured or suspended. Rapha and Harrison at the moment are our 1st choice wingers Costa is cover for Rapha and Harrison needs competition on the left. I think Poveda at first would be the one to make way if we bring in another winger which seems likely. To be fair though The lad has beefed up over the break put on alot of body muscle something Costa needs to do drastically. So you never know what pre season may bring.
The only thing I would add is that if this was based upon minutes played you would see a difference. Most of Rodrigo appearances were off the bench as an example so 30 minute against 90 minutes I think you would see Rodrigo stats being pretty good
Afternoon all Great news we have Firpo done and dusted. Is Cooper dropping down the pecking order? Either way we need to keep him. Costa has disappointed for too long, we need better.
Its worth noting that I had never heard of Junior Firpo until it became obvious that Leeds were in heavy to buy him. I saw a clip of him playing in the Champions League for Barcelona against PSG and he was played as a RB simply to try and stop Mbappe. He never got past Junior once all match, and that to me showed a player who can compete in a number of positions against one if the best attackers in world football. Poor Kylian, this short clip shows who will be boss on the left side of our defence.
Glad that’s our first bit of business sorted early, the other 2 signings probably don’t need to be rushed now as we probably have our opening day lineup with Meslier, Ayling, Llorente, Cooper, Firpo, Phillips, Raphinha, Rodrigo, Dallas, Harrison & Bamford. Buzzing for the start of the season now!
Agree. I couldn't find minutes played. To be fair Roberts and Costa would also benefit from minutes instead of appearances. Costa gets a bit of a rough deal. He's not as bad as some make out. I do agree that his time seems to be numbered here. He's not going to start much in the squad we are building.
Afternoon all, Firpo looks like it could be a hell of a signing. Gotta love the way the club does business these days. I think Cooper will start the season as first choice cb with Llorente but will slowly lose his place over the season to Struijk. I hope he stays as club captain as long as he is here. Clearly popular with the players and has always represented the club in an impeccable manner. The choice of vice captain needs to be a player who will always be in the first team.
Junior does not have much of a senior career at Barcelona. He took part in just 7 league games last season.
