Good Morning. It's Wednesday 16th September, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
De Paul keen on move, should Radrizzani just pay the £37m?
The Rodrigo De Paul rumours still rumours still rumble on with the Square Ball prompting an incredible response from the Argentinian on Twitter suggesting he is extremely keen on the move. Italian journalists say that the only thing the way of a move now is Leeds meeting Udinese’s valuation of around £37 million. With Chairman Andrea Radrizzani telling the Financial Times Leeds had £35m-£50m of their summer transfer budget still remaining should Leeds look to push the deal over the line?
Whilst Leeds proved on Saturday that they are capable of competing with the best teams in the Premier League it was an outstanding individual display from Mohamed Salah that ultimately gave Liverpool the points. It was however a quiet game for Pablo Hernandez, do we need more options in that area? Is De Paul the kind of player we need, the kind of player with that individual brilliance to take us to the next level?
Should Radrizzani get his wallet out and splash the rest of our cash?
A genuine chance at silverware? Who should Bielsa play tonight?
After the excitement of Saturday it is back to Earth with a bump for the next two games as Leeds take on Hull City in the Carabo Cup and Fulham in the League. The cup may be a bit of a distraction at this time of the season but Leeds fans with see Saturday as an early opportunity to get some points on the board. With that mind what team does Marcelo bielsa pick tonight?
Is Robin Koch given more valuable game time to get up to speed with the English style and Bielsa’s system? If so who partners him up front? Pascal Struijk played well on Saturday but Liam Cooper, retuning from injury, may need game time whilst it could be a great opportunity for Charlie Cresswell and Oliver Casey from the U23s to get some first team action.
Barry Douglas was noticeable absent from Saturday’s team, prompting speculation of a move, will we see him tonight? Hull could also be a good opportunity to see more of Rodrigo and Pioveda whilst Gjanni Alioski would probably expect to get his first time of the season. Who would you play? Is this a serious chance to pickup some silverware this season or just a distraction we don’t need?
£20 million for an 18 year old, is Gvardiol worth the risk?
The trail on young creation defender Joško Gvardiol seems to have gone cold. Leeds clearly rate the player and there is no doubt he has a lot of potential but £20 million on a relatively unproven player is a lot of money. Do Leeds still need to strengthen at the back or does the emergence of Pascal Struijk as a genuine option at centre back as well as central defence mean that Leeds do not need to bring in additional defensive reinforcements.
Charlie Cresswell and Oliver Casey have also impressed for Leeds in the U23 setup and look likely to join uop with the first team squad this season. With these kind of prospects coming through should Leeds take a gable on a £20m 18 year old or keep thie cash to strengthen other areas of the team?
