A worrying start for Leeds?
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00:00 Just touching on the striker situation, it is maybe reaching panic stages now with Bamford and Ruta both injured.
00:09 The season starts this weekend, obviously huge moments going into it and they need goals and they need a big striker up top to provide that.
00:16 What's the latest you can tell us there?
00:19 Well, it was interesting that Daniel Farker was asked straight after the game about the two injuries by Graeme Smith, our chief football writer,
00:25 who said basically to him, "Will those two injuries alter your transfer business this summer in terms of what you do and what you need?"
00:32 And essentially by that, does it now mean we definitely need to go out and buy a striker?
00:37 His answer was basically a pretty categoric no, because he didn't think either of the injuries were serious,
00:43 as in long, long term, it's not like an ACL, I think was what he said.
00:48 Really, we'll just have to wait and see. So that's the answer from the boss.
00:52 But my feeling is that they do need to get another striker.
00:55 And even if both of those are back very, very quickly, as in within days or weeks, let's say,
01:01 I still feel personally that they do need another striker because it's pretty simple.
01:05 Goals win your games, goals win your games and goals take you up.
01:08 And you look at the two times that Norwich went up under Daniel Farker, both two times they scored an abundance of goals.
01:13 I think Pukki got 29 one season and 26 in the other.
01:16 Are Bamford and Ruta going to do that?
01:18 I mean, you can't say no. I mean, obviously Bamford scored when he was 18 when Leeds went up.
01:22 Ruta has got an abundance of promise, obviously he's young.
01:25 But, you know, just getting somebody else in is a much better bet really,
01:30 because it could be the difference, ultimately, that between automatic promotion and not.
01:34 It's not easy. Good strikers don't grow on trees. They're not cheap, obviously.
01:38 There's always a bit of a premium for a player that scores goals.
01:41 But, yeah, that's something I think they've got to be looking at.
01:43 There's still plenty of time in the window, as I say, for them to do that.
01:47 But in terms of the severity of them, I just think you have to wait and see.
01:50 I mean, he said, Daniel said himself after the game, we'll have to wait and see this week.
01:53 As I say, his gut instinct was that Neyver was serious.
01:57 I think he was pretty sure about that.
01:58 But he did sort of say that, you know, both of them could have implications on this weekend,
02:02 as in it almost felt a little bit like they'd both be out this weekend, really.
02:06 And if that's the case, they are very, very short, Charles, in that area,
02:10 because obviously normally you'd have Rodrigo in the piece, but he's obviously moved on now to Arianne.
02:14 So he's not there. It's the only situation where you finish the final pre-season friendly
02:18 with a 19-year-old in Matteo Joseph playing the number nine role.
02:21 I mean, he's a very good young player and he's got a huge amount of promise.
02:25 But I mean, to say you're going to throw him in straight away for the first game of the season would be a big ask.
02:29 Not to say he couldn't do it, but he's obviously more one for the future.
02:32 So there's other things they could do as well.
02:34 I mean, Nonto could play up front. He's not really a number nine, though, is he?
02:38 Sinisterra could probably go there.
02:40 There's ways round it. Harrison could do if he was fit, but he's not.
02:43 But the bottom line is, it does look a problem at the moment and it's something they need to do.
02:48 I think even if and when both of those are fit.
02:51 effect.