We -need- to start getting players in sooner rather than later. With so many new faces (I expect it to be at least 10), they need some time to gel. If we do our business in July and then turn around 2 weeks later to play our first game with a raft of new players, we've given ourselves a needless hurdle to overcome.
Turkish press are this afternoon linking us with a move for Buraspor left back, Taye Taiwo please log in to view this image Link to pic: http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.607987294197711030&pid=15.1 "The pacy left back made his name at Marseille, making 192 appearances and scoring 17 goals over a 7 year period. In 2011 he moved to Milan making only 4 appearances in total. In 2012 he was loaned to QPR, making 15 appearances in the Premier League. Although QPR had an option to buy Taiwo, they didn't exercise it and he moved to Buraspor in 2013, making a total of 27 appearances last season, scoring 2 goals." Taiwo is extremely quick with a strong shot and obviously experienced but he is 29.
Unconfirmed reports down at MP say Felix is looking to sign an Amercian playing in the German league, evidently we are not the only club interested, any ideas who this could be. Our previous US connection could be helpful.
John Brooks is a 21 year old Centre Back playing for Hertha Berlin and is American. I wouldn't be surprised if there were quite a few other teams interested in him as he looks promising. That would be a coup if we signed him. The only other Americans that I know of that play in the Bundesliga are Timothy Chandler and Fabian Johnson who are both right backs but have both just recently signed for a new team so it wouldn't be them and there's Julian Green at Bayern Munich who is a pacy 19 year old winger. He's highly rated over there so if he was the one then I reckon it would only be a loan deal. All just guesswork on my part though.
I know in the first team thread I have said that I think we are fine in midfield and up front I have said if Mitroglu goes I would buy a senior striker to replace him..... now I know this may not be popular with some but I honestly think Jozy Altidore would be a beast in the championship plus I think we would be a realistic target
I think Mitroglu would be our best bet in the season ahead and every effort should be made to keep him. We would have no hope in attracting such a player for the season, and at present Mitroglu is under contract for a few years to come, bar clauses in his contract of course. I hoping anyhow.
We have reportedly made a £5 million bid for Leeds and Scotland striker Ross McCormack. please log in to view this image Link to pic: http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608006552838211790&pid=15.1 Reports broke earlier today that a championship club had made a bid for McCormack, who was the leading goalscorer in the Football League last season with 28-championship goals and Sky Sports are saying that the bid came from Fulham, who were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season. Derby County, Norwich City and Newcastle United have also been heavily linked with the 27-year-old Scottish international in recent weeks. Leeds owner Massimo Cellino is reported to be considering the bid for McCormack who he valued in excess of £6m recently.
I'm seeing a few reports on Twitter that it was Derby and not Fulham who have bid £5m for McCormack. That wouldn't surprise me at all if it were true. I find it quite worrying that Felix is spending the next month doing punditry for the World Cup over in Germany. Surely he has more pressing issues on his hands at Fulham.
Id say it was the perfect place to tempt a couple of German players to Fulham. Maybe even Iniesta Neymar?
Who will we be happy as our four strikers in the first team squad at the start of next season bearing in mind a few are still expected to leave???? Dembele, McCormack,Woodrow plus one of Ruiz, Mitroglu, Trotta, Tankovic, Rodellega??????
Yup, and also according to the Daily Mirror after our initial bid of £5m was dumped last Friday. The new figure of £7m has to be at the top of the range though and presumably had add-ons/conditions attached.
Cookie. I feel to signing Ross Mc would be a sound move even for 7mil but as for the rest you suggest I would clear out all apart from Rodders who would make a good bench impact player An attacking forward line of DEMBELE, Mc CORMACK, C WOODROW P ROBERTS & RODELEGA could click, getting rid of the rest could bring us in what 12/15mil + an addition of 4/5mil could buy us a couple of quality defenders, which all must agree is a priority
We need to sign a "marquee" striker. His 28 league goals last year suggest McCormack could be that player. However even if we did sign McCormack, I think we would need another 2 senior strikers. Rodallega would be one of these but we'd need someone else. I would think we should be able to find someone fairly cheap (maybe Cameron Jerome for £2m?). Then we could pair McCormack/other senior striker with one of our youngsters and still have an experienced option from the bench. That should give us the firepower to compete.
I have mixed feelings about McCormack. This is his games/goals stats (all competitions) for every season he's spent in the Championship: 2008/09: played 44, scored 23 2009/10: played 41, scored 5 2010/11: played 24, scored 4 2011/12: played 48, scored 19 2012/13: played 39, scored 8 2013/14: played 47, scored 29 There are three seasons there that we'd be more than happy with, and three that would be a bit of a disappointment. The fact that the good ones are scattered throughout the six years rather than being the most recent ones worries me slightly. It's not as if he's someone who has suddenly started to score more goals, these stats suggest that he's someone who has hot and cold seasons. Last year he was one of the best in the division and his age (28) makes him a good balance of experience with not being over-the-hill, so I can see a lot of good reasons to sign him (29 reasons from last season alone!), but I don't think he's the sure thing that he's being presented as. Postscript: One other - good - thing from the stats: he doesn't appear to be massively injury prone. There's only one season where he looks like he's missed a significant number of games, and that was quite a while ago.
I think we might have signed our first player - Shaun Hutchinson, defender at Fulham. According to the Scotsman he is a Geordie boy, 6' 2" and is 24 years of age. Have to confess I don't know much about him but he could link up well with fellow North east boy Burn. At last a signing !! - Fixtures out Wednesday guys
Have to agree with that, Captain. The 2012/13 season figures are the concerning ones. However, considering the basketcase that Leeds have been in recent years it is very hard to draw real conclusions. I like the look of Shaun Hutchinson, who seems to have joined after turning down a new deal at Motherwell. He's young (23) but has three seasons of first team football. Not sure whether he is the right player to slot in next to Burn/Amorebieta though - does anyone know if he's right footed (hope so!)?
I know McCormack spent a bit of time playing as a left winger. Whether or not the seasons that his goalscoring record weren't great was a result of being played out wide, I don't know , but it's certainly a possibility.
