The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Tuesday 24th May)

Good Morning. It's Tuesday 24th May, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road


Leeds face competition for Minamino signature

Leeds face competition from Serie A heavyweights Lazio and Juventus in the quest to land Japan International Takumi Minamino. The 27yo playmaker netted ten times last season for Liverpool in just over 800 minutes of game time, mostly in Cup Competitions, but is desperate for more game time.

Minamino briefly played under Marsch during his time with RB Salzburg. A fee of 16-17m would be enough to prise him away from Anfield. Jurgen Klopp recently described the Japanese star as 'outstanding', but promised not get in his way, should he want to leave for first team football.

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It's time to back Marsch

Andrea Radrazzani was nonchalant when addressing the Elland Road media following Leeds Houdini act to avoid relegation on Valium Sunday! Jesse Mrsch's team were odds on favourites to face the drop, but a hard fought victory over nine men Brentford, and a large slice of luck saved them from life back in the Championship, yet to hear the Leeds owner, you'd think it was all part of the master plan. He also spoke of the need to back Jesse Marsch, not only from the terraces, but from the boardroom.

"This has been a painful season for everyone, from the board to the fans in the stands, the changing room to the ticket office, it has been a battle." "The campaign has been blighted by serious injuries to key players and having to make an unplanned managerial change was an incredibly tough decision." "Staying in the Premier League was our objective this year and we’ve managed to obtain our top-flight status, but this is not success and improvements are needed."

“As a board, we will work hard with Jesse Marsch this summer to improve the squad and find a way to deliver the kind of performances you all deserve. “We believe that with time and a full pre-season, Jesse will be the man to take this club forward.”

Marsch accumulated 15 points from 12 matches, including final day heroics at Brentford (on Valium Sunday) to guarantee their top flight status. In comparison, Bielsa had taken 23 points from 26 games, but in fairness was fired just before an easier run of games! Would the Argentine have got Leeds out of trouble, or were the board right to get rid of him when they did? Are those die-hard Bielsa supporters now fully behind Marsch?

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Aaronson medical soon

The Elland Road board have wasted no time in jumping straight into the transfer market, according to Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg. We heard over the weekend that Victor Orta had negotiated the €28m (£23.3m) capture of long term target Brenden Aaronson, but assumed nothing would happen until the transfer window opens on the 10th June.

According to Plettenberg, Leeds are wasting no time in lining up their first Summer signing, and has suggested that Leeds are lining up a medical for the 21yo USA International. This will be the first Midfielder Leeds have bought to the club since Adam Forshaw in January 2018.

"There is a total agreement with #LUFC and between the clubs. Everything is clear but no signing yet. Medical soon. Total transfer between €28-30m. He is one of the desired players of the clubs. Great transfer."

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Barca not planning to have to spend much more than 25m for Raphinha

Spanish sporting media outlet 'Mundo Deportivo' have been assured by FC Barcelona that Raphinha will be playing for them next season, and they do not expect to pay much more than 25m. Currently, the Brazilian ace is contacted to Leeds until October 2024, but has been aggressively headhunted by the Catalan giants for most of last season. Their underhand and unscrupulous plotting with his agent Deco can't have gone unnoticed by the Elland Road board, yet we haven't heard a murmur from them!

"Club sources assured Mundo Deportivo that Raphinha will wear a Barça shirt and that the price will not skyrocket. There is a verbal agreement with the player through his agent Deco, that his transfer will be around those 25 million stipulated in his exit clause in the event of demotion. They do not contemplate that it will increase and if it happens, not by much. Weeks ago, information from England spoke of the existence of an insufficient first offer and that the English raised it to a minimum of 40 million."

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Morning Ell

Not sure about the accuracy of the Spanish article on Raphinha, as I thought he had another 2 years on his contract, and an expiry date of October 2022 seems a very strange date.

As for Bielsa, then yes I believed that he would have been able to keep us up, however I wouldn't have expected him to be in charge next season, given how this one had panned out. However the board decided to act and Marsch is here, and deserves to be backed by both the club and the supporters as much as MB was backed, and only time will tell if he is successful or not.

 

Morning all.

For the record, I'm one of those die hard Bielsa fans. Love what he did for the club and will be forever grateful to him.

However, do I think he would have kept us up ? I would like to have thought he could, but the facts show a team bereft of any confidence or desire, in terrible form and heading in one direction. Yes, the squad was depleted by injuries. Yes, we had a relatively easier run of games to come, and possibly some players coming back from injury (though not all as it turned out). Rumours of Bielsa losing the dressing room. But at the end of the day, it was the squad size that (nearly) killed us and that, I have to admit is down to Bielsa. I was at the Tottenham game that turned out to be his last and I've never come home from Elland Road so depressed.

Am I fully behind Marsche ? It was a tough job coming in with the team/squad he inherited. We played some dire football over the last 12 games but the sole purpose was to keep Leeds up and push on next season. Let's face it, in the tougher games (Arse, Citeh and Chelsea) he fared hardly better than Bielsa and he had to rely on a huge slice of luck in other games (Wolves and Brentford) to get the points needed. But he did it, and I for one will draw a line under this season and give the new boss a fair crack next season. He needs a pre-season and a transfer window (or two) to build the team he wants and to get them playing in the style he wants. I just hope that style is something worth watching after we've been spoilt with three years of Bielsa ball (I won't count this season). What does worry me is the recent statement a few weeks back that the plan going forward is to continue with a small squad. Radz's statement after Brentford gives me more hope that the penny has finally dropped, let's see if he put's his money where his mouth is.

 

Good Morning from a sunny Bardsey.
I am having my cataract removed today so I expect I will not be allowed to drive for a few days
I think that its obvious that Barcelona think they can get Raphina for peanuts well we will show those big boys we can play hardball as well
I think that wewill lose KP as well to City and I can,t blame the lad for that
Players to sell Rodrigo a total waste of money Bamford injury prone along with Forshaw.Roberts who will buy him and Mesliers swap him forPope
I would also go to Burnley for THIER CENTRE back on a free

 

This.

 

Which centre back 60. Do you mean Tarkowski, the one it is rumoured that Newcastle have been chasing for 6 month, and Everton are willing to pay him £120k per week ?

 

Tarkowski is a very good centre back, though with the number of players we have in that position, thats the last void to fill

 

Apparently, Cornet has a release clause of 17m.

Not too bad!!!

 

I don't disagree that about his ability Ell, however he is 29, and I don't see us making him our highest earner, especially as you mention, we are already inundated with players for that position.

Thus I don't think Tarkowski would be a viable option, but 60 may have been on about another centre half, so was seeking clarification

 

Oh, Ben Meeeee?

 

He's still younger than Cooper, Ayling, Dallas, Klich, Rodrigo and Forshaw.

 

Morning all

Barcelona cannot afford Raphinha and thats a fact. Makes no difference what Decco thinks but Barcelona are skint and most of the players they bring in will be freebies. Even those freebies will be expecting huge salaries but La Liga are keeping an eye on their outgoings, so they need to offload plenty of players to clear the wage bill and still need players to be one out before one in. Raphinha transfer fee will be circa £50m starters

 

Morning all

 

Tell Barca they can have Rapha for 25 million but only if they take Firpo too.

 

Very true, but he will be 30 in November.

However as we have both said, its pretty much academic because we already have enough centre halves, and there is no way we would be offering the same amount of money for him in wages as other clubs are purported to be prepared to pay

 

I am a massive Bielsa fan and accept that now its a new broom and the man with the broom needs to be allowed to get on and do his own thing. He will make some decisions some wont like and some we will be loved. Whatever happens the club have accepted responsibility for the fk ups of last season, so we now need to let Marsch get on and show us what he wants to do and how he wants us to play. I for one wish him well, its a new era and no going back

players coming in

players going out

coaches coming in

what happens to Jacko and Taylor

academy set up and coaching plan

loan players in/out

kids released/sold

 

Thanks for doing these Elland.
All the 'negotiations' stuff I take with a pinch of salt unless its direct from the clubs or the players own mouth. As someone who's conducted negotiations, the side comments and 'sources close to' are all part of the game, whatever trade you're in. Sometimes a silence is as good as a comment.

 

Morning all. New season and everyone should start with a clean slate incl the waster Orta. Time to end the Bielsa thing, its done. Ill always love him for what he's done, many items in the man cave with his picture on it alongside our other greats. I look fondly at them nightly. As for the argument we have enough centre halves or wingers so we don't need more, I don't buy into that. We've many players that wouldn't get a first team place in probably any top ten club so as well as getting more bodies in we need to upgrade some of what's already there if were to really attack a top ten spot. But gee, isn't it just swell to be having this discussion given what it could have been. See what I did there