Leeds Banter 4

15 Jul 2026 07:12:46
So it’s been given the Here we go from Fabrizio and all the other big lads.
Muharemovic is going to be signing number 2.
I’m happy with that as all you read is that he’s of high pedigree.

My question is, we are always Tod that the club are planning transfers months in advance.

Like January/ Feb for summer transfers!
So have we signed him because we scouted him back then or is it an opportunity signing after his World Cup performances?

15 Jul 2026 11:43:42
Something that we will never know.
Does it matter?
They must be confident about him or they wouldn't splash out that kind of money for him.

15 Jul 2026 12:25:06
Everything I've read about him is high praise! Pacy, great positional awareness, very good in the air defensively and offensively, and excellent with the ball at his feet, whether naturally keeping the ball flowing left, or pinging crossfield balls on his natural left peg. At 22, his potential could be huge, if all of that is true!

15 Jul 2026 13:04:44
We will have had a shortlist prepared a long time ago, based on data, as previously communicated by the club, for when Pascal left - the club have known he was likely to go for 18 months. We will have then looked again at it and made decisions based on progress and availability etc, nearer the time - don't forget the club speak to hundreds of clubs, agents and players each window before bringing in the 4 or 5 we usually get over the line.

15 Jul 2026 13:47:31
This gut has been offered, apparently, £105k a week (5 year deal) , so quite a lot for a defender for Leeds to potentially pay.

I think that would make him defo in the top 3 earners with DCL and HW.



And, with an eye on crucial signings such as a striker, etc., Leeds have friendlies soon enough, so I do hope the pressing issues of signing, in particular one/two gk (s) , happen soon.

15 Jul 2026 14:28:30
I read he was slow, Brightwhite.
And, that data nonsense and shortlist doesn't add up, as we sign and scout many with poor stats.
Feel free to add rumours, but don't try and make out we are an experienced recruitment team. Cause we ain't. Yet.

15 Jul 2026 15:21:44
Blimey, Aus, you must be a hoot at parties. At least you are consistent, dude. 😁

15 Jul 2026 16:58:33
Aus, don't try and make out that you understand football because it's very clear from the majority of your posts that you have a very limited understanding

16 Jul 2026 02:50:23
Did you copy and paste that, Alf? Getting a bit boring now. It was on Futmob. He is slow, and we do scout players with poor recent stats. Dcl, for one. Don't know why some of you take exception to my post. It's fact.

16 Jul 2026 06:24:24
Stats are not facts in the sense of what actually defines any footballer. You could say, for example, Erling Haaland barely touches the ball in a game, and his running stat must be one of the lowest in the Premiership; a goalkeeper probably runs more distance than he does, yet he is one of the most prolific goal scorers in the world.
So stats are often very misleading.

I rarely pay any attention to them at all.
Seeing what a player does in a game on the pitch tells you everything you need to know about a footballer.

I find football stats are for the geeks, and can make someone look like they know what they are talking about, billowing out a load of technical data. Perhaps instead watch a game he's played more recently.

16 Jul 2026 08:09:53
Well said Alf & Opti!
He ain't got a clue!

16 Jul 2026 10:17:12
Aren't we a stat based buying ownership, Opti.
And saying Haaland is slow and hardly touches the ball is mostly true. So it's a fact, right?

16 Jul 2026 12:41:43
We have bought some dead wood in the past, so I am convinced that Leeds never look at stats. He's young, hopefully a decent player, and if he is excellent, he will be off by the end of the season to a top 6 club, no doubt.

16 Jul 2026 13:53:02
We use a data-based model - that's not the same as stats.

You can belittle it all you like, but it's been working pretty well for the likes of Brighton and Bournemouth, who have been enjoying some great transfers over the last few years. It's also been effective for the 49ers NFL team, who rose from the ashes to reach a few Super Bowl finals with relatively modest investment in recent times.



That's the issue, Aus - you ignore useful info that is freely available and use your own baseless theories as a foundation for your comments.

16 Jul 2026 14:02:38
I don't have baseless theories, Alf. Name one?
Whiteman agrees with me.
What's your take, Alf? Are we data-based or not? Or maybe sometimes others not? Depends on player and cost?

16 Jul 2026 18:12:57
Aus, but I know nothing. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

14 Jul 2026 20:43:51
There are rumours that some of our players are off. Schmidt back to Switzerland and JH back to the States, but that might mean we take a bit of a hit.
Wober is back. As a player I didn't mind him but he's always been too injury prone and I'm not sure he can resolve that issue.
I'd like to keep Large. As a squad player I think he can offer something off the bench. What I don't want is another loan with an option to buy. If he stays then Willie G might be going but that would boost our budget.


I'm wondering what's going to happen to Joffy? Hull don't seem to be making any early moves and no one else seems to be in the frame. After a bright start and interest from other clubs he lost his way. He's not suited to leading the line but he's capable of playing alongside someone else or in a pressing midfield.
It will be interesting to see who is given a chance in the pre season training and games and how they perform. If anyone does stand out then it may change Farke's view of them.

14 Jul 2026 15:50:05
Trossard off to Besiktas for 20 million.

I mentioned a few back he'd be a great signing for us. Never mind, I'm sure we have other top targets lined up?

14 Jul 2026 17:31:31
Methinks Arse would not have wanted to lose him to another PL club.

14 Jul 2026 19:02:10
Surprised Gooners let him go.

14 Jul 2026 19:21:51
Baz, mate, surprise is we did offer more.

14 Jul 2026 21:04:40
18 mil one out, one in for 34mil. We always seem to pay more than we get, just hope the defender is worth it.

14 Jul 2026 21:07:39
Also, Sher 24 mill done deal. Not sure that's true. How much is a keeper? How much do we have 🤷🏻‍♂️ left.

14 Jul 2026 22:20:57
Whiteman, I reckon this could be a quality signing. We may have lost Pascal for £20m, but it's all profit, and £34m over a 5 year contract, amortised, is only a £7m signing in this year, so plenty more for Trafford.

15 Jul 2026 12:33:47
Midfield, I hope so too. Don't know much about him, but at the price DF must reckon, so fingers crossed.

15 Jul 2026 13:47:22
Whiteman - Wouldn't paying more for your replacement indicate you're getting a better player [at least you should be!], an "upgrade" so to speak?

I am pretty sure, had it been the other way round, folks would have been complaining [again] about getting lesser players on the cheap! (Like the last two seasons, e.g.

selling our crown jewels [Rutter, Summerville etc] and buying cheap [Tanaka, Longstaff etc]) .

At this price, this would nearly be our record signing fee?

15 Jul 2026 15:32:10
We have a bad past, ani4ni, mate 🤣 but I am very happy to see we are looking to build for the future with young players coming in. Not sure who we will keep, but this one needs to be better than the last one, to be honest.

14 Jul 2026 13:22:20
Cardiff's head analyst Matthew Jenkins has left the club for Premier League side Leeds United.

14 Jul 2026 14:39:58
Probably because he can speak Welsh, Alf.

14 Jul 2026 14:46:29
Ha ha, Class.

14 Jul 2026 19:04:28
Said last week on here that Marathe and Co really needed to upgrade / reinforce / add to their recruitment department, with a Director of Football, etc.

Well, this is a start, I guess.

Hopefully, he improves matters.

16 Jul 2026 06:16:55
Yes, coz everyone signed last year was utter gash, weren't they? Not one was useful in keeping us up! The lad's a data analyst! He studies data more than you use Google for facts, dates, figures, and memories!
Biggest outcome? We have better data analysis to base our decisions on.

13 Jul 2026 08:04:35
It’s an oldie but a good un….
Two hikers out hiking in the Rockies when they walk into a clearing and are confronted by an angry brown bear ready to attack.

One of the guys says stand still and only move when I say.
Incredibly, the other guy takes off his rucksack, takes out a pair of trainers and starts undoing his hiking boots.

Incredulous, his mate whispers you won’t outrun that bear, they can run up to 25mph over rocky ground.
To which his mate replies….

I don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you!
This season will be tougher still imo with the likes of Forest and Spuds making significant changes, signings, but I’m very optimistic that we can finish above all three promoted sides, if we keep our most successful formation and make some additional signings at the level of Stach and DCL, we can continue to establish ourselves and continue to bridge the financial chasm to the top teams.

13 Jul 2026 12:17:05
The old ones are the best class!

14 Jul 2026 00:04:54
Hull have 200m to spend.
I agree, class. If we continue our best formation and upgrade a few areas, Wilson for Arrenson is a start. Add a good goalkeeper, central defender, midfielder and striker, all of which are replacement starters once they've earned the right.

14 Jul 2026 07:49:52
I think the Hull figure breaks down to £130m on transfers and £70m on salaries. It is larger than our transfer budget, but not as much as Sunderland spent last year, which was just above the £150m mark.

14 Jul 2026 08:20:08
Let's not forget that Hull pretty much needs an entire squad upgrade.
It also has to be done wisely.

14 Jul 2026 10:33:51
We thought the same about Sunderland squad last window, Dave.

14 Jul 2026 19:06:39
Hull can have a £150 million to spend.

They will still finish 19th or 20th.

The 3 promoted clubs, Leeds, Palace and Sunderland, will make up bottom six imo.

13 Jul 2026 06:01:18
When we back in training? We got friendly v Wrexham on 26th. Some prem teams already playing friendlies?

13 Jul 2026 09:43:48
Players are back for preseason today.

12 Jul 2026 20:39:31
64 team World Cup, just insane - there are countries that just don't need to participate and be humiliated.

Put money grab.

12 Jul 2026 21:15:57
Just include all the countries and have done.

12 Jul 2026 22:22:37
That would take about 4 months to conclude and 8 host countries.

13 Jul 2026 12:18:05
What has dodgy Infantino been on, I wonder?

13 Jul 2026 14:11:20
It seems his greed for money or massive brown envelopes knows no bounds. Also, the distasteful wanting to place himself in the limelight.
Makes Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini look like rank amateurs in FIFA's endless corruption trail.

12 Jul 2026 14:20:51
Shea Charles definitely has potential to be a very good player but will he make us better next season? I doubt it, so I really don't get the pursuit especially at the over 20 million price.

11 Jul 2026 23:05:11
Who is the England football manager?

Just thought I'd ask the question because I've seen Beckham on screen more often than Tuchel in the first half!

Message to the TV director - please stop showing the bloke who never got past a quarter final. If you want to focus on a winner, take a camera round to Geoff Hurst's house!

12 Jul 2026 09:18:38
Relax, Cleggy, pal, and enjoyyy the fabulous England win.

Pretty sure TT would not care how many times the cameras focused on him (or Beckham) during the match, so why should we..

Most importantly, QF job well done..

Next Argentina and Messi.. who?

We are winning it, fellas!

12 Jul 2026 11:26:35
Becks is Football's Mr Big in Miami, so the US camera crew were always going to home in on him.

12 Jul 2026 12:58:00
Strangely enough we have bored OUR way thru to semis. Seriously hoping we smash argies but alas. Most likely hammered by France or narrowly beaten by Spain. Not been the same as Italia though. Lacks the passion.

12 Jul 2026 14:06:18
Cone off it, Aus. I enjoyed the Italia 1990 WC, but the atmosphere and passion at this WC exceeds it imo.

.The results and matches for England at this WC also exceed 1990. ..the heroic win in vs Mexico at their home stadium for starters.

12 Jul 2026 14:10:12
England will beat Argentina (unless there is atrocious refereeing) .

But yes, a final vs Spain or France would be tough, but it's a match England can win.

12 Jul 2026 15:46:53
We can beat Argies, and mebbe Spain too, but France will be v tough. If Spain beat France in the other semi, I do believe we have a chance of beating them in the final - fingers crossed.

12 Jul 2026 17:46:56
Don't you get dizzy changing positions so quickly, Baz, you originally tipped Spain, France and Brazil with Japan as dark horses.

And that England may depart in the quarter finals.

Now you're constantly advocating England will win it as though it was your far reaching prophecy, some u turn that.

Ever considered a career in politics?

12 Jul 2026 18:15:42
Yessssss, Class, pre tourno I predicted England would only reach quarters.

But, as I explained in my previous post immediately after England's win in Mexico, I have changed my mind. England will win it.

I have already reiterated and acknowledged. It's not my pre tourno prediction.. things can change.

Enjoy it fellas (well Aus might not) . 😆
..

12 Jul 2026 18:16:25
..Japan were indeed dark horses. Played well generally. Unfortunate to be eliminated.

12 Jul 2026 23:22:12
I was amazed at the Mexico stat at the Azteca Stadium, incredible run, and for a team of Mexico's ability, it seemingly made it sound even better. However, a quick Google and the teams they beat, other than Brazil, I would hardly say are up to much.

Honduras (x8)
Jamaica (x8)
El Salvador (x7)
USA (x7)
Panama (x6)
Canada (x6)
Costa Rica (x5)
Trinidad and Tobago (x3)
Bermuda (x2)
Belgium (x2)
Brazil U23s (x2)
Haiti
Guatemala
Iraq
Bulgaria
Martinique
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Bolivia
Brazil
Guyana
New Zealand
South Africa
Czechia
Ecuador.

13 Jul 2026 00:23:49
Yep, but considerable respect for Mexico still managing to beat all of these teams..in 70 matches.

None of these teams could hold out for even a draw.

Many on this list are decent to good teams, not top drawer, of course, but at the very least decent/competent and capable of drawing and winning.

13 Jul 2026 08:07:51
You can only beat what's put in front of you. A list of teams beaten by England would include major footballing nations like Andorra and San Marino. Sure, there are loads of minnows on that list, but also quite a few middling teams.

The list of PL talent in their lineup tells us they ain't a bad team, and with the home (and altitude) advantage it was a good win for England.

13 Jul 2026 10:03:00
100% JR.

13 Jul 2026 16:37:00
Have to agree with Aus, boring. Can't wait till the next round. Leeds still clearing out players, should have thought that would have all been done by now. We are also looking to spend 34 million on a player that won't leave, must be left in our kitty.

14 Jul 2026 07:27:17
You are so wrong about the Italia World Cup 1990, Baz. I was there, and I can tell you the passion and emotion, with the added Gazzamania, far outstrips what this World Cup has presented so far concerning England and England fans.
Southgate's 2022 World Cup doesn't even come into the question.

I can't speak about the fans in the US because I've not been there, but, from an England fan's perspective, I doubt very much it is as fervent.



Very different style of football, comparing then to now, but all I can say is, for me, it was an unforgettable time in my life.

As an England supporter at home, I imagine it will only eclipse Italia 90 if we win it, and that is looking very daunting, with the very impressive French very likely awaiting in the final if we get past Argentina.

15 Jul 2026 00:44:46
OP, nah

Iconic Nessun Dorma anthem, defo, raised passions, but the atmosphere in the stadiums at matches by fans weren't anything special, unlike other WC 1966, 1970, 1978.

And the football? Matches in the 1990 WC were OK, not that good. England were dull and unconvincing. They won just one match and scored just 2 goals in the group, then scraped, luckily, past both Cameroon in R16 and Belgium in QF, and then you know what in SF, ugh.



Gazzamania? He didn't play that well and became more notorious for his SF yellow card reaction.

Whereas Bellingham has been sensational, really lived up to his hype this WC, and, sorry, but the atmosphere at this WC is much better. That Mexico vs England atmosphere and match are a million times better and more memorable than anything at WC1990.

AiMo

15 Jul 2026 11:35:23
Where were you in the Azteca Stadium, Baz?
England fans were outnumbered by about 100 to 1, the atmosphere, as you call it, was only created by the Mexican fans.
I guess you were in a coma during the WC 90'.

15 Jul 2026 12:04:20
Yes, the Azteca was an intimidating cauldron of Mexico fans vs the English. Amazing match and atmosphere.

A World Cup tournament overall atmosphere isn't judged only on England fans, fgs, but all countries' fans that are there!

I cited in my post above the amazing atmosphere of 1978 WC, and England weren't even there.

15 Jul 2026 12:07:21
And I was in the beautiful Algarve all through the 1990 WC, with other England fans. Great weather, food, drink, big screens at bars, watching the WC and Nessun Dorma. Ok football, a goodish WC, but definitely not great.