Leeds United: Latest transfer news + season predictions
Leeds United: Latest transfer news + season predictions
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00:00Right. Well, we'll come on to our last topic of the episode, which is looking once again
00:05at the transfer window. It seems like we always end these episodes with a transfer window
00:08recap at the moment. Now, Daniel Farker, he's mentioned that Leeds are actively in the market
00:15for a central midfielder and a fullback as well. Of course, they've already signed one
00:20fullback this summer in Jadon Vogel, but they've had enough of an objective for a Cologne midfielder
00:27in Dejan Ljubicic. I think I pronounced that correctly. I think so. I put his pronunciation
00:31in Google to make sure I was on cue with it, but I think that's right. Dejan Ljubicic,
00:35I think so. Yeah, I think we've just about nailed it. So yeah, as I say, that offer has
00:41been rejected. So it just now is whether Leeds go back in for him or try someone new and
00:46also who else they might be looking for in terms of a fullback as well. What are your
00:50thoughts, Lee? Yeah, I think that's pretty much spot on. I mean, that's kind of like
00:54what we spoke about last week, really. We said that centre midfielder was probably the
00:57top of the list in terms of the areas they need to look at. So that's no surprise, really,
01:02that that sort of confirmation that they're after a midfielder, a centre midfielder, a
01:05number eight, if you like, has come out. And they're evidently keen on Ljubicic in terms
01:10of obviously an offer's gone in, believed to be around about 3.3 mil. I think there
01:15was probably a bit, it felt like there was quite a lot of confidence Leeds could get
01:18him and they still might because his team have just been relegated to the second tier
01:22in Germany. He's only got one year left on his contract. So, I mean, obviously, it's
01:27one of those ones you can imagine Leeds getting done. But obviously the bid got rejected and
01:32the team's managing director spoke at the weekend about him and basically said, as far
01:36as he said, the assumption he assumed was his words, that he thought that Dejan would
01:40stay. So, maybe a bit harder to get over the line than was first envisaged, I suppose.
01:47Not that anything's easy. And then he then played in the pre-season friendly at the weekend
01:51against Udinese, in which he scored the winner. So, going by that, he looks like he's very
01:56much involved at Colne. So, that's definitely one to watch. But I think probably the expectation
02:01is that Leeds will go back in again for him again. He's obviously someone he's keen on.
02:05So, yeah, I mean, that's the one to really, really watch, I suppose, in midfield, centre
02:09midfield. They'll obviously be looking at other options as well. It won't just be him
02:12and stuff, but it's quite clear that they want to sign him. So, we'll wait and see about
02:14that. And it sounds like it'd be a good signing if they got him. 26-year-old, Austrian international,
02:19lots of experience, gets forward, gets goals. So, tick all the right boxes, I think.
02:24And then full-back's obvious because, I mean, you mentioned Jadon Bogle, obviously, there
02:28at the start of this. He's been probably this... Well, it's a bit early to say, but he looks
02:32like being the signing of the summer at the moment anyway, notwithstanding Rodon coming
02:35back, of course. But he could be superb for Leeds going forward from right-back. He's
02:40already got a couple of assists in pre-season. So, he's fine, obviously, in terms of a first-choice
02:45right-back. And Firpo, as long as he can be strong defensively, will be first-choice
02:50left-back. But other than that, it's just Sam Byron, really, isn't it, in terms of natural
02:54cover at full-back. And you need more than that, even though Verba can play left-back
02:58and Struyck can play left-back and whatever. They do need, I think, one more full-back
03:02option. Maybe someone who can play there and play other positions too. So, it's no surprise
03:06that they're the two positions that they're looking at. Still a few weeks left, obviously.
03:10More than a few weeks after the transfer window, which ends at the end of August. And that
03:15will be the key, I think, at the end of the transfer window as to what happens elsewhere.
03:18Because let's not beat around the bush. The other main story, or the main story, is what
03:23happens to Somerville and Nantes. It's as simple as that. And I know we mention it on
03:26here every week, but that is the truth. Somerville is the EFL player of the year. He's probably
03:32the best player in the division. He'll probably be, well, almost certainly be even better
03:37than last season if he is here next season. So, that's the one to watch. And it goes about
03:41saying that if Leeds lose him, they need to replace him and the same with Nantes.
03:44So, I mean, the good thing with Leeds is that, obviously, everyone was very sad to see Archie
03:50Gray go. But, I mean, that did sort of sort out the profit and sustainability side of things.
03:55So, to all extents and purposes, Leeds are in a position where they don't sort of need
03:59to sell as such. They can call the shots. And, put simply, unless somebody comes in
04:05and matches the valuation of what Leeds want or what they think they should be getting for
04:09a Nantes or a Somerville, or unless those players kind of say they want to go, which
04:13doesn't look like being the case, then they'll stay. So, I mean, it's hard to say, will they
04:17both be here come the first game of the season? I suspect not. I suspect at least one of them
04:22will go. But I hope I'm wrong because you want to see them both play for Leeds. But
04:25it goes about saying that if either of those two go, they need to be replaced.
04:28So, Somerville, Nantes and Ljubicic, they are the three to watch at the moment. But,
04:32obviously, I'm sure new names will emerge, especially a full-back at some stage.
04:36Indeed, yes. Well, as I say, that is sort of the story of the summer transfer-wise. Then,
04:40of course, the on-field side, as we've already mentioned, is Matteo Joseph. So,
04:46yes, it should be able to be an interesting summer for Leeds.
04:50I don't know how you see it in terms of next season. I mean, you do these and obviously
04:55for other teams as well. I mean, how are you seeing the Championship? Would you sort of
04:58fancy them at this stage? I mean, given how they performed for the majority of last season,
05:03you'd have to, wouldn't you? Because they were a really good side to watch. They actually,
05:08you know, they beat the two teams who went automatically home and away in Leicester and
05:13Ipswich. At times, you could argue they were the best side in the league. But then, of course,
05:18you know, they had that sort of rut at the end where it all went just a little bit wrong for
05:22Leeds. And they had that, yes, they had that one game where it looked good again in the
05:25semi-final playoff game against Norwich. But it just dropped off a bit of a cliff towards the end,
05:31right at the wrong time. But looking at it now, if they are to hold on to their key men
05:36and strengthen in the way they have been doing, yes, you'd have to fancy them. I mean,
05:41I think they are currently favourites alongside Burnley to go up automatically. Then you've got
05:46the likes of Luton Town. I'd watch out for Middlesbrough as well. I think they're a good
05:51outfit under Michael Carrick. Yeah, certainly a side who finished last season very strongly.
05:56A bit of a bad start. And to be honest, if they hadn't had that bad start of the season,
05:59they would have been right up there as well. And then you've got to wonder how the likes of
06:03Coventry do as well. How will Sunderland perform under their new manager Regis Lebrie. So there's
06:09a lot of teams who could potentially challenge, but you'd have to imagine it. It's Burnley and
06:15Leeds fighting for those top two with maybe Luton in there as well. I think so. It's
06:21an interesting point on Sunderland is Gabriel Sutton, who does a lot of EFL punditry work.
06:26He does like a sort of predicted final table each summer. He did one last summer,
06:31and we do an article on that, which will be on our website. And he's put Sunderland first,
06:35which I thought you might find interesting because I know that I think the 33 to one,
06:39they're certainly not like, I think that's the best price they are. They're certainly not seen
06:43as one of the main contenders. And I do wonder, I'm not saying Sunderland, but I could see why
06:48you've got talented players, that's for sure. And I just wonder whether there'll be a surprise
06:53package emerging, you know, like everybody's talking about the obvious ones there as you've
06:56run through. I just wonder if there will be a surprise package. It usually is. Ipswich were
07:01that last season, weren't they? But I think in terms of the obvious ones at the forefront of
07:06the market, I think Leeds, they are strong favourites, seven to two and eight to one bar
07:11with Burnley. And I think they deserve to be favourites. And I think you summarise it pretty
07:15well. I think they probably should justify that position as favourites really. I mean,
07:19I think even if Leeds lost Nonto and Somerville and let's say replaced one of them, I'd still
07:28quite fancy it. I still think the squad's that strong. They've still got James and Aronson and
07:32people like that. But I mean, if they can keep both of those as well, you know, then obviously
07:37the squad should just be like more than capable of getting all of that promotion. But you never
07:40know. It's a difficult division and the start will be key. You know, obviously you want momentum,
07:45but they are favourites. You're quite right. And the favourites for a reason. And I think
07:50they deserve to be favourites. But let's watch out for Sunderland based on that prediction.
07:54Well, yeah, I'm not sure what to make of that, to be honest, because as I say,
07:57they've got a new manager who clearly has an identity he's trying to instil in them. But it's
08:04their lack of a striker, to be honest, currently, at least as well. Although they are supposedly
08:09in talks for one, but we'll see how that develops. But yeah, last season, it was just their lack of
08:17experience and obviously a lot of off-field decisions that really affected how they finished.
08:23Because to be honest, for the first half of the season, they were doing all right. They were sort
08:26of in amongst the playoffs as they had been the previous season, but then fell off an absolutely
08:31massive cliff. Obviously, we've talked about Leeds falling off a bit of a 1-2 at the end of
08:36last season. They still finished third in Leeds. Sunderland came, I think, what was it, maybe 15th
08:40or 16th, having been sat sixth at one point, which just shows that the drop they had. So
08:47I think there's a lot to get right at Sunderland in terms of getting them playing a way that is
08:55by the crowd and also is effective as well. Yeah, we'll see how it goes. They need more
09:01experience in their ranks. They have got some talented players, but they've put a lot of their
09:05hopes on youth, which didn't work for them in the last season. And they also need a striker.
09:11And so if they get that and they add some experience, then fair enough. And maybe this
09:16new manager, RĂ©gis Labrie, will actually manage to get them playing the way he wants them to be
09:20playing. Because it comes with a philosophy from Lorient in France and Rennes as well,
09:27where he also was, which was good football. Although he was relegated in his last job,
09:32to be fair, but you could say that about a lot of managers as well. So yeah, that's an
09:36interesting one. But as I say, I'd still fancy Leeds. I'd fancy Burnley. And I'd fancy Middlesbrough
09:42as well under Michael Carrick. So you're going to go Leeds, Burnley, then? Well, let's just do the
09:48top two. You're going to go Leeds and Burnley. At the minute, I'd say Leeds to win it. Burnley
09:53second. Then I'd put a cheeky bet on Middlesbrough to come third, top of the play-offs.
10:00Yeah, I could see that. I'll go with Leeds. I don't see why not. I mean, you sort of worry
10:05when you put a prediction out like that, saying the team are going to win the division. But I mean,
10:09they should have enough to do it from the way I see it. That's the way I see it at the moment.
10:13Obviously, it can soon change. So as I said, the favourites, favourite reasons. I worry a little
10:17bit about Luton. I think I'd maybe see them as biggest dangers because obviously they're coming
10:21down. It seems quite stable. There hasn't been a huge amount of changes. Yeah, a couple of players
10:25have moved on and whatever. But Rob Edwards, very, very good young manager. So I'd worry about them.
10:30And obviously, Burnley, it just remains to be seen how they go under Scott Parker. So I'll go
10:35Leeds and Luton and watch out for the others. But yeah, nearly there. And let's hope it's
10:40second time lucky. Indeed, yes. We don't fancy a repeat of the way last season ended. I think
10:46that's the main thing to say. But yes, we'll be back next week. We'll review the Valencia game.
10:51And we'll fully preview the start of the new season, of course, home to another South Coast
10:59team in Portsmouth. Nearly, nearly. But anyway, yes, that is all for this week. We'll be back
11:04next week. As I say, we'll look at the Valencia game and then look ahead to the start of the
11:08season. But until then, thank you all very much for listening and for watching. Cheers, bye for now.