Leeds United: What next in the transfer window?
Leeds United: What next in the transfer window?
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00:00Before we finish though, we'll look at the transfer window and what is next.
00:03Of course, we've mentioned a bit now, or it's already happened, the two departures and the
00:08two incomings as well.
00:10And of course, as we've said on a lot of occasions, this transfer window will sort of be measured
00:15by who departs, really, if anything, in terms of some of it or none.
00:21We always said this from the moment Leeds didn't go off that, they could be on their
00:25way, but they haven't left yet.
00:28And was it five or so weeks now until the window shuts and the season itself for Leeds
00:34and the Championship started?
00:35Is it three weeks now, I think it is?
00:37Yeah, yeah.
00:38I think it's the 10th, isn't it?
00:39The second Saturday in August, so it should be here, yeah.
00:42So yeah, we're getting there.
00:43So firstly, if we look at them in terms of will they leave, I'll let you speculate on
00:49that.
00:50And then after that, what else do Leeds need?
00:53Should they actually stay?
00:54I mean, we've mentioned in the past that the need for a striker is still there with
00:58Perrot, not really showing what he's all about.
01:01And Bamford's unreliability due to injury being a bit of an issue on a more consistent
01:08basis these days.
01:09So, and as you say, their midfielders might be something to strengthen as well.
01:12So yeah, we'll sort of build on Toby's staying, Lee, and what else could Leeds be with in
01:17this window?
01:18I think we should say also with the signings, we shouldn't forget about Roderan coming in
01:21as well.
01:22Because he won't obviously feel like a signing for some, because obviously he was on loan
01:26last season.
01:27But that's a big move, going out and getting in for 10 million and making him a permanent
01:31one.
01:32So you've got to say fair play to Leeds for getting him in, because that's a big one as
01:34well.
01:35But yeah, I mean, well, now it's just a guessing game, isn't it, as to what happens?
01:38And I mean, to answer the question of will Somerville and Nonto still be here, that basically
01:44just comes down to what bids come in and what those bids are.
01:48I mean, literally, as we sit here now and as we're recording this, there's reports of
01:52West Ham coming in for Somerville, but apparently considering him a bit too expensive.
01:58And that probably is it in a nutshell, really.
02:00Is somebody going to be able to produce enough money for Leeds to accept the bid?
02:05And then obviously, it can get complicated if a player wants to go and this, that and
02:08the other.
02:09But I mean, at the moment, he was there against Harrogate Town and him and Nonto were obviously
02:13in pre-season training over in Germany.
02:16And obviously, you know, you hope that both stay, of course, especially Somerville.
02:18I mean, he's a Championships Player of the Year, you know, I mean, that says it all.
02:21I mean, with good reason, he probably is the best player in the Championship.
02:26So yeah, it remains to be seen what happens with those, really.
02:29I think the key thing with both of those and especially Somerville is that, you know, like
02:33obviously fans can, you know, they know what's happening and stuff and they don't turn a
02:39blind eye to it.
02:40And we all sort of know that as soon as Leeds fail to go up, there's a very big chance that
02:44Somerville would go.
02:45And to be honest, I think most people expected him to go early in the window, but obviously
02:48it didn't happen.
02:49Bids didn't come in that were high enough.
02:50And in the end, Archie Gray ended up being basically sacrificed instead to, you know,
02:54settle PSR rules, which is a massive shame, but that's business and that's the way it's
02:57got to be.
02:58And the thing with Somerville, you've got to just be wary of is that obviously, as you
03:01quite rightly say, Daniel, the window goes right away to the end of August.
03:04And what you'd be worried about is someone coming in for Somerville right at the end,
03:07you know, someone coming in for Somerville like with like, you know, a couple of days
03:11left and then Leeds not getting someone in to replace him.
03:14Because in terms of what they need now, the key thing really, I think, is keeping hold
03:19of those two and in particular Somerville.
03:21But then if one of them goes and you need to replace him, you know, because we've said
03:24many times before that goals win games and obviously they're both key to that, especially
03:28Somerville.
03:29And if he suddenly goes and I think, you know, to just sort of think, oh, we've probably
03:31got enough there, you know, wouldn't be particularly wise.
03:34So that's without a doubt, in particular, Somerville going to be the story of the remaining
03:38weeks of the window.
03:39I mean, as you say, you just cross everything that Leeds keep in, but I mean, you know,
03:42I just don't know.
03:43It just depends on the bids, really.
03:44It wouldn't be difficult to see him going, would it?
03:46Let's be honest about it.
03:47I mean, if someone comes in with enough money, then you'd feel like the writing would be
03:49on the wall.
03:50So we'll wait and see with that.
03:51The other positions, I think you could still go through them all and I question Marks really
03:55do.
03:56I mean, up front, you quite rightly hit the nail on the head there.
03:59The big thing with up front is that they might have like someone emerging from within, as
04:05such as a new number nine option in Matteo Joseph.
04:08I mean, he's not exactly new to the party.
04:10I've seen him last season, obviously, come on for so many games.
04:13He's still not had a league start, which is amazing.
04:14But he looks to drill.
04:17He looks the real deal.
04:18I don't know about the real deal.
04:19It's a bit early to say that, but every time I see him, he looks like a really good young
04:22number nine, you know, but not like someone you think, oh, he might be good in a few years.
04:26Someone who looks ready now, you know, like he looks mature enough and stuff.
04:29He's built, you know, he's strong.
04:31He's bolted up and stuff.
04:32He's high press.
04:32He's a good finisher.
04:33So why not?
04:34And if he suddenly can become a starter, then you've got him, Pirro and Bamford, and that's
04:40three.
04:40And you'd think that would be enough.
04:41But I mean, if there's a reluctance to use Matteo Joseph as a starter, then probably
04:47they do need something else up front.
04:50So I don't know.
04:51That's a bit of a, you know, one to debate, really.
04:53And to be fair, they can sort of mix some of each other.
04:57We've always talked about a lack of a number 10 at Leeds and stuff.
04:59And since Pablo went, Brendan Aronson's coming back.
05:02So not that he's going to be Pablo Hernandez, but he might do very, very well in the
05:05Championship.
05:06So, you know, is there enough creative midfield-wise, basically?
05:10And then even that itself dovetails into centre midfield.
05:13So there's all those areas you can look at.
05:16Centre-back is another one because it looks like Liam Cooper's, you know, moving on.
05:21I mean, Daniel Farquhar's asked about him and basically said, we work with the players
05:24we've got now, the ones we're working with.
05:25And Cooper's nowhere to be seen.
05:27So you're going to be one centre-back down there.
05:29So, you know, but I think in terms of starters now, anyway, in terms of looking at the 11,
05:33I think they're probably all right, you know.
05:35But it's like beefing up the squad now, isn't it?
05:37And just getting a few more options and cover.
05:39But then again, you can't just stop our players and have like, you know, 20, 25, well, 25
05:44players who, you know, who all want to, who all should be in the squad and on the bench
05:49because, you know, people just sit there otherwise.
05:51And you've got youngsters coming through as well.
05:52So in terms of starting positions, I don't know.
05:56I think, as you said earlier in this, centre midfield looks like, still looks like one
05:59to me.
06:00So centre midfield may be like still the thing to look at, I would suggest probably as the
06:04priority.
06:06And then the other priority, you know, is going to be wing, is going to be something
06:09else out wider and attacking midfield, if Somerville are non-so-go, but that's a big
06:13if really.
06:14Goalkeeper, I think that, I feel like everybody, I feel like, you know, sort of like people
06:19are a bit divided about Melie, you know, like in terms of him next season, do they need
06:23an upgrade on him?
06:24I mean, I've always thought he's pretty good, Melie.
06:26I've got to say, he has his moments, obviously, but he's still a young keeper.
06:28And, you know, I wouldn't be surprised to see him take another big step forward again
06:31next season.
06:32But goalkeepers want to watch.
06:34And then, as I say, the other ones, it's just like about having cover.
06:37But then you've got young players coming through as well.
06:38So it also depends on them.
06:40De Baio, James De Baio, the centre-back, we talk about centre-half options, but if he's
06:45going to come through and be like sort of someone to be considered, they look good enough
06:48for Harrogate Town, then that sort of changes that.
06:51So they all sort of, as I say, they all dovetail into each other a lot because of the positions,
06:55you know, intertwine.
06:56Ampadu can play as a midfielder or a centre-back, but no doubt about it, Daniel, the key story
07:03is going to be Somerville, isn't it?
07:04That's the thing, because if he goes, then you're losing, you're basically losing your
07:08best player.
07:09So that's the key one to watch.
07:11And as each day passes of the transfer window and he's still here, I think everybody breathes
07:17a sigh of relief.
07:18But I think everybody's braced for what might happen, but we shall wait and see.
07:23Yeah, I mean, as I say, both him and Nantes would be huge losses.
07:28I assume you believe that, obviously, given that he was the champion player of the season
07:33last year, the loss of Somerville would be more of an impact than the loss of Nantes.
07:38Yeah, yeah, 100 per cent.
07:40And that's no slight on Nantes.
07:42That's just sort of like praise for Somerville and how good he has been and how good he is,
07:49basically.
07:50But I think being realistic at the moment, as we sit here now, if you sort of go through
07:55and pick a league's strongest XI at the moment, and it depends on what formation you're going
07:59to go with, but Nantes probably doesn't get in.
08:02And that's probably the reality of it, because you're going to have Somerville on one wing,
08:06obviously, and then you're going to have probably Dan James on the other.
08:09I mean, you might have Montauk above James, it's probably quite close, but that's probably
08:14the way you go at the moment on form and what you see.
08:16And so there's no doubt about it that Somerville will be the bigger loss of the two.
08:19They'll both be big losses, though.
08:20And the thing that Leeds have got to make sure, and again, it's all what ifs, but they've
08:25got to make sure that if both or either of those two players go, they've got to make
08:30sure they get a good price for it.
08:32People don't want to be reading about Somerville going for a small fee.
08:37Not that he's going to do, but someone like him, Championship Player of the Year, he should
08:41be talking pretty big bucks, and then Nantes won't be as expensive.
08:45Nantes is still so young.
08:47That's the thing, you forget about how young he is.
08:49So he's only a few years younger than Somerville, but he's definitely got even more time on
08:55his side.
08:56So yeah, they'll both be big losses if they go, but Somerville's the key one.
08:59He's a star man, and I'm sure that'll be the story the remaining weeks of the window.
09:04And the bottom line is, if he goes, they've got to replace him.
09:06They've got to replace him with someone good.
09:08Very much so, yes.
09:10And I think that's a really good way to round off this episode.
09:13As we said at the start, we are edging ever closer to the start of the season, and indeed
09:19the end of the transfer window as well, a little bit after that.
09:22Fortunately, thank you very much for this episode.
09:24We will be back next week, I assume, and hopefully everyone associated with Leeds United
09:30when we record next week's episode, Somerville.
09:33And until we're still deep.
09:34Yeah, let's hope so.
09:36Things can change very quickly in a week, can't they?
09:38So we shall wait and see.
09:39But it'll be nice when the window's done, because apart from anything else, it stops
09:43me rambling on about, you know, he can play here, he can play there.
09:45But if he goes...
09:46We can just not have to talk about it ever again.
09:51Yeah, you can talk all day about it, because obviously so many people can play in different
09:55positions.
09:55But I mean, that'll be the same with Daniel Farke.
09:57You know, he'll want to know what he's got, and he won't know until the window's closed.
10:00So let's see where we are this time next week.
10:03Indeed, yes.
10:04But that is all for now.
10:06So we will be back.
10:07We will see you then.
10:09So Lee, thanks for that, and we'll be back next week.