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Good Morning. It's Wednesday 7th September, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road
PSV blame Orta for scuppering Gakpo deal
PSV Director John de Jong has angrily hit out at Leeds over suggestions that Cody Gakpo changed his mind about joining Leeds on transfer day, insisting that Leeds offer fell short of their asking price. The former midfield maestro claimed that PSV were amenable to selling one of their prized assets, but only at the right price, and Orta was playing hard ball.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported that Leeds Director of Football had chartered a private plane expecting to wrap the deal up at £38.8m. Sources claim that personal terms had already been agreed, and the paperwork was ready to be signed, but Gakpo had a last minute change of heart after talking with National team boss Louis van Gaal.
Talking with PSV TV, De Jong insists that the offer on the table was not sufficient to warrant selling one of their best players, and had nothing to do with the player:-
“Leeds United’s director flew in and talked to Cody. We received and listened to Leeds, but in the end, no concrete offer was put on the table where we thought we should sell him now,” “I think everyone knows that a club has to make an outgoing transfer every year. That’s in the budget. So did we, but in the end, there was not such a good offer on the table that we really considered letting him go.” “It’s hard, it was hard for Cody too. We got together on Thursday morning to talk about it,”
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Leeds could sell ER even with 80,000 capacity
Leeds Utd journalist Beren Cross believes Leeds would stand a good chance to sell out Elland Road, even if they had an 80,000 capacity. Cross was discussing the long awaited redevelopment plans at LS11 with a fan during his weekly Q and A session on Leeds-Live when he made the astonishing statement. Leeds currently have a capacity of just under 37,000 which sells out every match day. Whilst the waiting list for season tickets is believed to be 20,000, is it feasible to imagine that Leeds could still fill their stadium if it was more than twice the capacity?
Should Leeds make the redevelopment project a priority; it seems like they have been discussing it for years, with little to show? According to Cross:-
"Staying up last season to secure a third PL season was critical in keeping the ball rolling. I agree they could probably go up to 80,000 and have a good chance of selling out, but I am sure you can appreciate the cost involved in going bigger and the associated risks. Every aspect of this redevelopment has to be assessed and done in a measured way. They will not want to bite off more than they can chew."
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Rodrigo unlikely to be offered extended deal after wage soar claim
During a recent Q and A session, YEP journalist Graham Smyth suggested that Leeds are unlikely to offer record signing Rodrigo an extended contract. The 31yo record signing penned a four-year deal two years ago, making him the most expensive player (both in terms of monetary value and salary) at the time.
Unfortunately, although we have seen glimpses of brilliance from the Spanish International, he hasn't been able to do it on a consistent basis. Smyth also revealed that 'the wage bill at Leeds has already undergone a serious uplift in recent times', which may suggest why Jan James was sent out on loan.
"Rodrigo will be 33 by the time his contract runs out at Elland Road. Given his issues with niggles and the fact that his first two seasons were so difficult and inconsistent, I would be surprised if there was talk of a new deal any time soon. He looks after himself as a model pro by all accounts but the intensity of Premier League football under Marcelo Bielsa and then Jesse Marsch will take a toll. He would be an expensive one to do, as well, and the wage bill at Leeds has already undergone a serious uplift in recent times."
"The purple patch at the start of this season was welcome and he has clearly gone from a player who might well have been heading out the door to free up finances in the summer, to a player with fire in his belly and an important role to play. He’s just got to show he can carry it on, once he’s back fit of course."
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