Not a great week with regard to friendly results, but results as far as Bielsa goes are not important at this stage. Bielsa has never ever had decent pre-season results, as its all about fitness and maybe performances of individuals. We have seen the importance he places on the U23s as they have played 3 friendly matches. We have a mixed bag of team selections and some players with hardly any minutes yet, and we also have 5 significant injuries to Junior, Struijk, Llorente, Gelhardt and Shackelton, so lets hope they are nothing much to worry about. Last pre-season game tomoz down at Loughborough again 7pm kick off. Then a week to wait for the opening league game. Let me be the first to stick my neck out this season and say that I believe a deal for O’Brian is done and dusted. I heard Phil Hay say earlier that he knows for a fact that O’Brian is high on Bielsa’s list…. I have spoken to someone who says that its done and will be announced once medicals etc completed. Goalkeepers have caused some interest over recent months as we have got rid of some perceived top talent. Huffer, Taylor, BPF and Miazek and Skerry all departed and Caprile, Van De Heauval and Meslier now in charge. Klaesson added as No2 to Meslier is only 20yo so a few weeks older than Caprile. Elia Caprile has obviously been involved in what has been happening as he this week signed a contract extension to 2024. We also signed the England u16 keeper from BCFC Umbong who is supposed to be a top top talent. So behind the scenes who is making decisions on our pool of keepers? Well Victor Orta went to Midelsborough to work for Itor Karanka and he took with him a little known guy called Marcus Abad. The surprising thing is that Abad is fairly young but never played pro football and too short to be a keeper anyway? Abad is a fully qualified football coach at European top standard as well as a degree is sports. He coached in La Liga at reserve/Academy level, but started specialising in coaching keepers. He did that role at Elche and guess where Kiko went. So Abad is another character that breaks the norms and it seems to be a new Leeds thing where data analysis is king thanks to Bielsa. So far we have Meslier who nobody had ever heard of, Caprile who Chelsea wanted to buy before Leeds snapped him up from Italy. Van De Heauval who looks promising, but Klaesson by all accounts could be pushing Meslier for a first team start. Meslier hasn’t had a great Summer so far. This week saw the club sign Andrew Taylor from Sunderland where he was assistant manager. He now has the role of Loan Manager for Bielsa. This role is important as we need to ensure the players we have out on loan are getting used correctly. We also need to make sure they have their performances analysed by Leeds. There is also players who could potentially come in and those contracts need agreeing, but importantly before any player arrives he will have had his data fully looked at and a report for Orta and Bielsa. We have players out in Spain and over here in leagues 1 and 2 and that could mean we have around a dozen players out this season. Presentations, plans, management and reporting. We employed someone in this role in 2019, Simeone Farina, who was in charge of our kids out on loan and sorting out Fast eddies deal from Arsenal. Farina left in 2020 to take over the General managers role at another club. Bielsa expects reports as the club have a valuation on these players and if we end up releasing them it hurts the coffers. So far this season Kiko is off the books and will be bought next summer, Leif Davies is loaned out but a buy option for next summer. Casey sold to Blackpool, Niall Huggins will be sold as already 4 clubs are in for him, including Blackburn and Swansea. Bogutsz, Kun, McCalmont, Edmondson are just some we will have out on loan
Another story doing the rounds is Argentine striker Adolpho Gaich 22yo. Yes another clickbait story….. maybe…. But I remember this kid from last Summer when I heard Orta say he had made enquiries about him. Now this is an unusual one because Gaich isnt what you can call prolific but any striker who is picked for Argentina at 19yo makes Tyler Roberts look silly. Gaich is known as Tank everywhere he goes and is 6’2” unit, but fast and does damage in the box but has the Bielsa ability of never stopping and defending from the front. He has goals of all descriptions in his toolbox. Ball control, passing, assists, tap ins, headers, thunderbolts. I can believe that this player would be on Bielsas radar. He has just played another 3 games for Argentina in the Olympics
Roberts was made to look silly at the Euros tbf when he couldn’t get a starting place in a poor Wales team with a very average player like Kieffer Moore getting in ahead of him.
I’m not sure any journalists know our transfer targets but I do think we need a little strengthening, second season is just as, if not more difficult. The spine is still mostly the championship team. Momentum and adrenaline can count for a lot first season back, but quality is needed to consolidate (Aski can quote my pessimism back at me in a few years or sooner if we’re top 6 )
Yeah agree with that and as Bielsa has said many times anyone who comes in must be better than we already have. Thats why I dont see Shaks being around much and think Bielsa believes O’Brian will keep Dallas and Klich on their toes. Dallas will be back up for Junior and to start with O’Brian wil be back up for Klich but by Xmas O’Brian will be fully up to speed on Bielsaball.
Can’t say I know a anything about him, presumably Carlos has recommended? We haven’t got too many signings wrong of late (apart from their injury records).
When Ben White was brought in social media for Leeds fans went wild complaining about a nobody signing who had only played at Peterboro and Newport……. But Bielsa and Orta knew what they were doing. On the same subject Keiran Maguire has just published an article on why Leeds need Andrew Turner to capitalise on making money from our kids, and says Ben White shows what can be done
Which is why I make no comment on him. Literally know nothing about him. I didn’t even watch championship football last season
Its now getting stupid. Man Utd have offered Messi £50m but PSG have offered £75m for 2 years contract which works out at £722k per week FFS
