Leeds Banter Archive July 30 2020

30 Jul 2020 21:53:50
Soooooo. why don't we just offer 35 mill for White? I mean, what exactly is stopping us?

30 Jul 2020 22:49:50
May be because no one at Elland Road is daft enough.

Don't get me wrong, I think Ben White is a very good player. The best young central defender since Woodgate (but not as good) , but we haven't seen him against Premier League forwards. Week in, week out. No easy weeks. Always at 100% concentration.
In comparison Ake is being touted at £40m and we have watched him develop over the years in to a top PL defender. Forth, who we are linked with as a replacement is touted at £15m and he has been at a top 6 club for a few years now, played in dozens of PL games and has international caps for Argentina (who know a thing or two about defenders) .
Southampton has just picked up an Dutch international defender for less than a million
So in my opinion the value of a Brighton-benchwarming-White is well inflated.

30 Jul 2020 23:26:13
spot on axe,

i think white was a good player and maybe he is worth 35 million but i do think there might be better options out there. I think ake is proven and a lot stronger.

again white flatter to decieve last year in a leeds team that didn't have to defend. is white even that good? we know he ain't good in the air, we know he made a few big errors and at times he defending was poor (the luton goal white's defending and placement was awful) . i think the sheff utd defenders are lot better and would be cheaper, i think other chmapionship defenders are better and would be cheaper.

not saying white is not a good player but think better vaule for money can be found.

31 Jul 2020 05:18:14
And can these others play the same role in a Bielsa team? The difficulty is not just finding a half decent defender but finding one who can hit the ground running and also fit into a Bielsa team. Of course White isntbthe finished article, he is still a kid but he showed maturity well beyond his age and with the right guidance will go on to be a steal at just 35 million.

31 Jul 2020 07:09:50
Alft, I hazard a guess that good defenders can play well in any managers team. Bielsa's style of football is not different to most other managers style. The big difference is that Bielsa can hone the talents of the player better than most managers.

White hit the ground running last season so I can't see a reason that another defender couldn't as well.

In my mind's eye I can see a £35m transfer of Ben White to Leeds but it would be after a season long loan first. That way we can assess if White is actually good enough to be a PL defender, and White can assess if Leeds are good enough for his aspirations.

31 Jul 2020 07:49:47
As much as I liked white there is no way we will pay 35 .
I’ve said in another post we don’t know if Strujk may just start next season and be even better than white?
Or we could bring someone in at a fraction of the cost and proves even better.

31 Jul 2020 08:47:43
Ben White flatters to deceive 😂.

31 Jul 2020 09:08:36
Not sure how many other CBS could have come straight into A Bielsa team and played every single game in the way he did. An awesome contribution. Equally not sure any CB would survive all those games without making a few errors.

Having said that, his price is not going to be set by us but by the number of quality of the other clubs that want him.



I think another years loan would be a great option for us and for Brighton if he proves he can adapt to the premiership. But if other clubs come in with cash it’s beat them or look elsewhere and hope it’s as easy as other posters feel.

30 Jul 2020 17:04:40
All this talk about new signings but maybe Strujk could prove to be as good as any 20 million defender and we already have Shackleton and bogusz coming through and we have signed Harrison and costa and Meslier in goal and Poveda as well .
Roberts and bamford maybe all that bielsa wants up front . There is nothing to say the players we have coming through maybe as good and what's on the market for big big money.

30 Jul 2020 17:52:33
Would be excellent if so . and why not indeed

I remember the youth of Batty, Speed Gary Kelly, Woodgate, Harte, Smith, Kewell, Robinson, McPhail etc coming through the Leeds United youth set up and being more than good enough to play Premier League football.

30 Jul 2020 18:18:53
I really believe will stick with the squad, I think he will look to bring in a forward player and I do think we need cover at the back but I just can’t see it.

30 Jul 2020 21:50:07
i honestly think stuijk and shacks can be champions league class with podvka not far behind, the rest might be a step too far like davis, kenneth, edmonson, casey, bogatuz and kun to mention just a few.


the future looks bright and think this lot can maybe rival the wilko and o'leary crop of golden boys.

30 Jul 2020 21:51:27
Yeah but Bamford is 5hit.

30 Jul 2020 23:01:00
Alft

Bamford is far from $h! t. In the formation that Bielsa prefers he has played that role amazingly well for a first full season. The guy is perpetual motion. He occupies 4 defenders on his own most games!

Your point, and most similar posters point, is that he doesn't score enough goals and misses some sitter.
The way a Bielsa centre forward plays he is not expected to be prolific. He is expected to occupy areas well away from the goal. Pull the defence about. My own opinion is that Costa, Harrison (who has come on leaps and bounds this year) and Klich have not scored enough goals.
Yes, Bamford misses some sitters but if the others would put some of their chances away then there would be less pressure on Bamford as he takes his shot.

31 Jul 2020 05:15:16
Costa, Harrison (despite his improvement) and Klich aren't good enough either, you're right. But regardless of the other aspects of his game Bamford's finishing is atrocious and he should have got twice the number of goals for the chances he was given. So we need someone with that kind of work rate but a decent finish as well.

31 Jul 2020 07:20:23
Bamford's finishing is atrocious probably because he is shouldering the pressure of scoring the goals for Leeds Inited to get them promoted. I would suggest that had others players scored more goals during the season that Bamford goal return would have been higher just thro lack of pressure

My example of changing characteristics due to pressure is Leeds last 2 games of this season.
We were up. We were champions.
We beat a Derby side that had automatic promotion form since Rooney arrived. We beat a Charlton side battling to avoid relegation. Not only did we beat them, we beat them well. Not only did we beat them well but we beat them whilst still drunk. This was all down to the players feeling no pressure.

I totally agree Bamford's goals per chances is incredibly low this season, but McCormack got 40 in a season and we did nothing that year. Wood was around 30 and we did nothing that year too. I much prefer moaning about my number 9 only getting 15 goals and us lifting a trophy.

31 Jul 2020 13:34:07
Axe, Bamford is not and never will be a out +out no 9,

Sentiment aside now, paddy cannot be our main striker next season, as you well know now chances are a lot less in the big time, and there's no way we can accommodate Paddy's lack of again next year .

We need 2 new strikers up top imo, paddy as a squad player next season for. me.

30 Jul 2020 13:02:33
£41m for Ake
White - £35m
Coops - priceless.

30 Jul 2020 17:41:41
CAS put a dagger through the integrity of football with their ridiculous lack of FFP judgement of Citeh.

01 Aug 2020 13:11:38
It wasn't CAS' fault that UEFA took so long to take action against Citee that it's own regulations rendered that action 'out of time's. Those regulations gave CAS no option but to find in favour of Citee.

Of course whoever at UEFA was responsible for that farce will probably not be held to account - more likely that the incestuous workings of international football administration will see them move to FIFA and get a huge pay rise!

30 Jul 2020 00:20:17
Hope it not going to be the Leeds way, have a 6 week transfer window but wait till final week.
I know it's only been open a few days but have known we're a premiership side now for a nearly 2 weeks.

Should've had beilsa with improved contract signed immediately.
Saying we have signed 3 but they've been playing for Lufc and my point again should be signed on day 1 of window.

Brighton have signed Lallana and now a defender, offer for White should be on their table with a timeline, need to know these things to rebuild squad and it needs 5-6 players to make us a hopefully top half premiership team.

For me GK (ramsden )
2 x CB's ( White ideally a one other)
1 x creative MF ( Eze)
Winger/ 10 ( was hoping bees get beat and get in Benrahma)
1-2 strikers.
Or maybe I'm a little concerned for no reason and it's all in hand.

30 Jul 2020 07:08:08
Brighton paid 900,000 for a Dutch international defender, ok 28 but that's peanuts.

30 Jul 2020 08:21:12
Melbourne . agreed . Orta for me is not proficient and proactive enough . he needs to be and quickly.

30 Jul 2020 09:41:16
might be wrong here but orta is responsible for Struijk, podvka and a few of our other youngsters, if that is the case he is doing somthing right and maybe that was the plan. the transfer window ain't open yet give the fella a chance.

last few windows have seemed frustrating however that might be due to lack of money or even long term vision

i think this window will be different but we need at least two weeks before we can comment surely?

30 Jul 2020 11:17:09
I agree with that Bermo. Let’s just wait and see this window. I think a few may be pleasantly surprised!

30 Jul 2020 13:54:25
Agree with bermo and bright!

Bielsa has his ways of doing things, end the season, have some time to think calmly for both sides and to make very clear what the expectations and constraints are. He was never going to change that. The word is he wants to keep the squad together with White or equal. On top of that Costa, Meslier, Harrison needed sorting with any of the other squad members still looking for outs. Pointless Orta sorting out anything else until Bielsa and above dealt with.

30 Jul 2020 15:55:49
Agree with Bermo Bright and Spanish.

30 Jul 2020 16:06:12
I'd say Orta has had a mixed record overall but that its been better since Bielsa arrived (or maybe that reflects Bielsa's ability to work with the player) . I also get the feeling that Bielsa says to Orta go find me this TYPE of player and Orta goes and finds say 4-5 and Bielsa will ultimately have that final say in most cases (perhaps not Augustin) .

Casilla and Augustin are the two major flops (Augustin could still get worse) but I'd also say don't pay too much attention to rumours being linked with a lot of South American and ex-Bielsa players feels like sites taking advantage of click bait.

The club overall now feels so much more professionally run and they will have been preparing for all eventualities for some time so I'm sure they have their targets. Issues are leagues are all finishing different times etc, so some clubs don't know where they will be what their goals are next season etc, so whilst we might have targets set for a long time it is always difficult.

We have promotion as champions, we have the new 'tier 1' Adidas deal, new player deals will arrive I trust not just Bielsa but Angus, Andrea, and yes Victor to get this right.

I think White style defender x2, striker, winger and goalkeeper need to be the targets.

30 Jul 2020 16:46:44
I agree with Cork, and Spanish, in agreeing with my agreement to Bermo’s post. 🤔🤔🤔.

30 Jul 2020 17:36:21
And I agree that Corky, Brighty, Bermo and Spanish didn't necessarily agree with Melbourne, Ealing and my post 🥴😉😎.

30 Jul 2020 21:52:58
I think everyone is right.