Good Morning. It's Friday 20th May, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road Farke eyes reunion with Emiliano Buendia Leeds are reportedly rekindling their interest in Aston Villa's attacking midfielder, Emiliano Buendia, as they prepare for their return to the Premier League. The Whites had previously expressed interest in securing Buendia on loan during the winter transfer window, but the Argentine international instead opted for a six-month stint with Bayer Leverkusen. While the move to Germany didn't pan out as hoped – Buendia only started three Bundesliga games, and Leverkusen declined to exercise their €20 million (£16.8m) purchase option – it seems a move to Elland Road could still be on the cards. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is reportedly willing to let Buendia leave as the club looks to offload fringe players to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Buendia himself is also eager for a fresh start, hoping to revitalize his career with a permanent move. Buoyed by their Championship title win, the Whites could provide the perfect platform for Buendia to reignite his form. According to Give Me Sport reporter Ben Jacobs, Leeds "still like" the Argentine playmaker, suggesting they are considering making an offer for his services. They won't be alone in the pursuit of Buendia, especially at the reported £16.8 million price tag. The competition for his signature is expected to be intense. To gain an edge, Leeds could leverage the existing relationship between Buendia and their head coach, Daniel Farke. The pair previously worked together at Norwich City, where Buendia thrived under Farke's guidance. During their time together, Buendia amassed an impressive 23 goals and 33 assists in 80 appearances, showcasing the potential of a reunion at Elland Road. Whether this familiarity proves to be a decisive factor remains to be seen, but it certainly gives Leeds a strong card to play in the race for Buendia's signature. please log in to view this image Navigating the Post-Hammond Era Leeds face a pivotal transfer window, arguably the most important in the last five years. With Nick Hammond's departure to Everton, questions arise about the potential void left in the club's transfer operations. The Athletic's Beren Cross addressed recent signings such as Ao Tanaka, Manor Solomon (loan), and Largie Ramazani, and whether his absence will be felt this summer. Hammond bought a wealth of negotiation experience cultivated over four decades, when he himself was a player. He has built an extensive network in the footballing world. His expertise made him a highly sought-after figure, explaining why Angus Kinnear moved swiftly to bring him with him to Everton. While Hammond possessed a valuable contacts base for identifying potential players, his primary function at Leeds centered on negotiations and finalising deals. The player selection process was primarily driven by Farke, Evans, and Gretar Steinsson, who recently joined 49ers Enterprises' global group. Hammond's role was to translate those targets into concrete signings. Addressing specific deals, Cross clarified that Tanaka was a target identified by Farke due to his familiarity from the German league. Ramazani emerged as a potential signing through Evans' data analysis department. Crucially, Kinnear's strong relationship with Daniel Levy at Tottenham Hotspur proved instrumental in securing the loan deal for Solomon. Therefore, attributing these signings solely to Hammond's influence would be inaccurate. Despite this, Hammond's expertise will undoubtedly be missed. His departure leaves a gap in experience, particularly with Evans and Underwood relatively new to their senior roles at Leeds. The absence of a seasoned negotiator like Hammond could present challenges in navigating the complexities of the transfer market. This direction reflects Marathe's vision for the club. However, if the summer transfer window proves unsuccessful, the responsibility will likely fall squarely on those who orchestrated this new approach. The pressure is on Leeds United's revamped team to deliver in this vital period. please log in to view this image
Can someone just remind these new boardroom appointees that transfer window opens this weekend and they are actually allowed to make some signings. That's assuming all our cash hasn't been blown on the 3d model of the new fantasy stadium of course
Leverkusen obviously didn’t rate him so relying on his previous relationship with Farke to uplift his form is a mistake. If Farke is sacked by November we’re stuck with the player who failed in the Bundesliga. Steer well clear.
Buendia certainly has the quality to play PL football. He has the quality to play Bundesliga too. My issue is the injury sustained. He hasn't exactly bounced back from it quickly so it might be a long term issue and he will never regain his previous form. I don't mind taking a risk on one player bit we are linked with injury prone players left right and centre. We already have Ampadu (never had his knee op), Bamford, Struijk, Solomon, James and Wober who have had serious issues or recent issues. I want reliable players.
Have the club confirmed we will be signing anyone or is this the usual January rubbish only in the summer? Just asking
Joking aside, well I think you are, the club will have had almost 6 weeks, from confirming promotion to when the window opens, surely they'd have been working tirelessly to get some names in, within the first 10 days of the window opening until it briefly closes again. Our fans generally get very jittery in these windows, a couple of decent signings will hopefully steady those nerves.
Fans say the very same thing on run up to January windows too They've certainly worked tirelessly to finalise the rangers deal for 20m. That leaves 100m now from our new share option
Have the club had 6 weeks to work tirelessly? We’ve had a restructure at the top and had two of our main people in place for months knowing that they were heading to Everton. I can only hope you’re right and we haven’t wasted valuable time on the changes being made at board level. Incidentally, does anyone know if Hammond an Kinnear were out of contract? Isn’t it usual to put people that have in depth knowledge of our transfer targets on gardening leave through a transfer window?
I’d have said we had a plan A and a plan B since at least the end of January, we were favourite to go up, it would be stupid not to plan for both scenarios
I'd say of course we have, the replacements for ****ear and Hammond will have known ages ago they were getting their jobs, 6 weeks on Monday we were confirmed as promoted. We knew where we were going and should know what's needed to strengthen the team. Infact we should have been looking at goalkeepers since January, for both scenario's
Marathe stated on promotion day that the club had been working on this for months behind the scenes. I'm guessing they have a list of players they want and have had one for some time. Hopefully we get a few early ones through the door which might convince others that it's a project worth working within.
You’re more than likely right but why not stop them working there at least for this transfer window? Presume we couldn’t? Does it not bother you that Everton seem to be in for every player we’ve been linked with?
I've no idea of the intricacies of it all but would have thought that any transfer talk wouldn't have included them. As regard Everton being linked with the same players as us, click bait will be linking us, them, Wolves, West Ham and a couple more with all the same players. Promise Davis was linked and signing for 8 different clubs last weekend alone, here and abroad
