2019-20 Transfer News and Squad Discussions

[Nic]

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/05/29/t ... -to-leeds/

Fernando Llorente is busy preparing for the Champions League final, it will be his final game for Tottenham. After spending the last two seasons mostly on the bench behind Harry Kane, Llorente is leaving as a free agent, in search of a new challenge.

Llorente won't be short of offers. His former manager at Athletic Bilbao, Marcelo Bielsa, should throw Leeds' name into the mix. Leeds normally would not have a shot to sign Llorente. But on a free transfer, and with the charismatic Bielsa in charge, the Whites have a chance. Llorente spearheaded Bielsa's Bilbao success, leading the line as a target man.

Bielsa has lacked that type of player at Leeds, despite also enjoying success at Marseille with Pierre-Andre Gignac in the role. Llorente may be 34, but he should be relatively fresh considering the lack of game time he has played over the last two seasons at Tottenham. His performances in the Champions League show he would be a real asset for Leeds. It would be up to him whether he would be willing to take on the challenge.

He could be an option, esp as he has played under Bielsa previously, but would he want to drop down to take us up - I suppose it depends on other offers, but the Bielsa factor could swing it. Depends if at 34 he still has the pace?

[Selby White]

.If you look at the squad Bielsa started with last season, we have lost Viera, Saiz and Baker.

You mention these 3 players often in your numeous posts which is making it seem like Groundhog day.

I laugh that you include Baker in the same breath as Saiz & Viera because unlike the other two most of us didn't rate his performances here.

We were alll sorry to see Saiz go but given his performances prior to leaving his head definately wasn't here and given his family issues we applauded the Club (AR & MB) for allowing it to happen.

Viera another we were sorry to see leave, we always are with players that have come through the system. Not sure he's set the world alight in Italy but only time will tell us if it was the right decision.

Bottom line is whatever we feel they have gone so we need to move forward not keep going back over old ground. Players will come and go, often our favourites but none are bigger than the Club which is moving in the right direction in my opinion.

[isrodger]

.If you look at the squad Bielsa started with last season, we have lost Viera, Saiz and Baker.

You mention these 3 players often in your numeous posts which is making it seem like Groundhog day.

I laugh that you include Baker in the same breath as Saiz & Viera because unlike the other two most of us didn't rate his performances here.

We were alll sorry to see Saiz go but given his performances prior to leaving his head definately wasn't here and given his family issues we applauded the Club (AR & MB) for allowing it to happen.

Viera another we were sorry to see leave, we always are with players that have come through the system. Not sure he's set the world alight in Italy but only time will tell us if it was the right decision.

Bottom line is whatever we feel they have gone so we need to move forward not keep going back over old ground. Players will come and go, often our favourites but none are bigger than the Club which is moving in the right direction in my opinion.

The reason I mention 3 players is that at the outset of last season Bielsa was insistent on a tight squad. (Possibly against conventional championship wisdom) post this, Viera was sold against his wishes. The other two left @ Xmas and were not replaced. Blackman was replaced with Cassillas. The squad ended up being 3 players short on his initial specific requirements, and this in my opinion was one of the reasons were are still in the championship. Yes Baker was poor but when offloaded he should have been replaced, with an upgrade, either like for like or as Bielsa wished with a pacy wide man. Ultimately the fulcrum of our creativity Hernandez, ran out of steam & went missing in our final 5 matches.

As regards the coming season the start position most likely needs to be the basis of Bielsas squad requirements last season, which with the exception of our manager identifying kids to come through, means he is likely to want replacements for those 3 plus Brown and Harrison, which sounds about right.

[SiMamu]

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/ ... -1-9794879

Marcelo Bielsa is looking for four new players, with a specific focus on improving his choice of wingers, but FFP is a concern and Birmingham’s points deduction did not go unnoticed by the club’s board. United’s losses for the current financial year are likely to come in at more than £15m, almost half the EFL’s three-year limit.

4 players sounds about right.
1 CB/DM
2 Wingers
1 AM

Albeit I wouldn't mind one of those wide options being either Wilks or Grot added to the first team squad.

[TezzaWazzaBazza]

.If you look at the squad Bielsa started with last season, we have lost Viera, Saiz and Baker.

You mention these 3 players often in your numeous posts which is making it seem like Groundhog day.

I laugh that you include Baker in the same breath as Saiz & Viera because unlike the other two most of us didn't rate his performances here.

We were alll sorry to see Saiz go but given his performances prior to leaving his head definately wasn't here and given his family issues we applauded the Club (AR & MB) for allowing it to happen.

Viera another we were sorry to see leave, we always are with players that have come through the system. Not sure he's set the world alight in Italy but only time will tell us if it was the right decision.

Bottom line is whatever we feel they have gone so we need to move forward not keep going back over old ground. Players will come and go, often our favourites but none are bigger than the Club which is moving in the right direction in my opinion.

We were our best with Saiz, before he became unsettled. We need to replace him without a doubt. Not many players are capable of unlocking the heavy defences we face 90% of the time.

[Barlow Boy]

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/ ... -1-9794879

Marcelo Bielsa is looking for four new players, with a specific focus on improving his choice of wingers, but FFP is a concern and Birmingham’s points deduction did not go unnoticed by the club’s board. United’s losses for the current financial year are likely to come in at more than £15m, almost half the EFL’s three-year limit.

4 players sounds about right.
1 CB/DM
2 Wingers
1 AM

Albeit I wouldn't mind one of those wide options being either Wilks or Grot added to the first team squad.

I’ll be staggered if he doesn’t want another striker Si ?.

A top striker, plus Bamford, Roofe and Edmondson (or whoever from the U23’s) would put us in a good position up top for me.

[johnh]

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/ ... -1-9794879

Marcelo Bielsa is looking for four new players, with a specific focus on improving his choice of wingers, but FFP is a concern and Birmingham’s points deduction did not go unnoticed by the club’s board. United’s losses for the current financial year are likely to come in at more than £15m, almost half the EFL’s three-year limit.

4 players sounds about right.
1 CB/DM
2 Wingers
1 AM

Albeit I wouldn't mind one of those wide options being either Wilks or Grot added to the first team squad.

I’ll be staggered if he doesn’t want another striker Si ?.

A top striker, plus Bamford, Roofe and Edmondson (or whoever from the U23’s) would put us in a good position up top for me.

The four players Si mentions, and particularly 2 wingers, means that we could increase our % of chances. The trouble is we would still have no one to convert them.
No.1 requirement = A STRIKER.

[Nic]

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/ ... -1-9794879

Marcelo Bielsa is looking for four new players, with a specific focus on improving his choice of wingers, but FFP is a concern and Birmingham’s points deduction did not go unnoticed by the club’s board. United’s losses for the current financial year are likely to come in at more than £15m, almost half the EFL’s three-year limit.

4 players sounds about right.
1 CB/DM
2 Wingers
1 AM

Albeit I wouldn't mind one of those wide options being either Wilks or Grot added to the first team squad.

I’ll be staggered if he doesn’t want another striker Si ?.

A top striker, plus Bamford, Roofe and Edmondson (or whoever from the U23’s) would put us in a good position up top for me.

I agree, a striker is definitely first priority, especially considering he mentions multiple times the number of chances we needed to convert to a goal, and a winger because that's what he wanted in Jan. Anything else depends on who we keep hold of.

[Palpatan]

Bamford any good as a #10?

[SiMamu]

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/ ... -1-9794879

Marcelo Bielsa is looking for four new players, with a specific focus on improving his choice of wingers, but FFP is a concern and Birmingham’s points deduction did not go unnoticed by the club’s board. United’s losses for the current financial year are likely to come in at more than £15m, almost half the EFL’s three-year limit.

4 players sounds about right.
1 CB/DM
2 Wingers
1 AM

Albeit I wouldn't mind one of those wide options being either Wilks or Grot added to the first team squad.

I’ll be staggered if he doesn’t want another striker Si ?.

A top striker, plus Bamford, Roofe and Edmondson (or whoever from the U23’s) would put us in a good position up top for me.

Perhaps, but I think the stats for the number of chances created compared to the number of goals scored is slightly misleading. I don't think that we were creating as many good chances in the second half of the season as we needed to be for the amount of possession we had. Throughout the season, whenever Hernandez wasn't at the races or absent, or it was just Saiz, our attacking play and creativity wasn't as good. I think that Bamford and Roofe both have the capability to score 20 goals. I'd like to see more goals from out wide, which I think that Mallik Wilks could be - whilst Wilks also has the potential to provide similar movement to Roofe, which I think that we greatly miss whenever Roofe is injured. We definitely need more goals from the number 10 spot than Saiz or Roberts provided too, but also more invention in the final third from whoever plays that role. If we were to only, say, sign Luke Freeman this window, I would be relatively content. I think that our final ball has been poor at times, stopping us from creating good chances, and that Freeman would help to resolve that.
I would also like another defender and/or someone capable of playing Phillips' role, as I much prefer Forshaw further forward. Considering how far we push all of our midfield and our full backs, a more capable ball winner is definitely needed if Phillips is absent than Forshaw. However, it is not outside of the question that Oriol Rey, Callum Nicell, Hugo Diaz or Alfie McCalmont could be that. At CB, Struijk looks very like a very capable understudy to Cooper and Jansson. Although I would like someone like Semi Ajayi who can play CB and DM.
On top of Wilks, another more productive winger - or 10, given that Freeman can already play both - would be very useful too. Up top, we already have the options of Roofe, Bamford, Edmondson, Roberts and Wilks. Strikers miss chances, that's a given. How many good chances they get is what's important, and where I think we're lacking.