As us Leeds fans desperately refresh our twitter feeds, message boards and official website, we still don’t appear to be any nearer announcing a new signing. As we know, we’re an impatient bunch – we want players in now (with good reason – the quicker they’re in, the quicker Beilsa can work his magic on them!). Keep it under your hats, and sad as it is, I’ve even did a lap of the Mecure hotels car park on Friday – a hotel near where I live, that Leeds use a lot due to it’s close proximity to Thorpe Arch – I actually pulled in, looked at all the flashier cars, hoping to see a V4DRA, A8EL H or M3SSI number plate – I didn’t, but it won’t be the last time I call in! It seems people are worse than me – if you walk down Elland Road with a tracksuit, or looking remotely like a footballer (whatever that look is), be prepared to see middle aged men capturing pointing camera phones at you then your picture circling on the Web – I dare any 20 year old with a sharp haircut to walk down there with a suitcase or holdall, with a couple of mates with suits on – before long, you’ll be plastered everywhere with people copying your hairstyle and school kids thrusting pen and paper for you to sign. We’re a passionate group us Leeds fans – it’s why, we’re the best.
Anyway – back to the subject of transfers. There a lot of names linked, a lot of people in the know. It’s these ITK people who muddy the waters somewhat. Some are desperate for followers and their moment of fame, some, are awful clickbait sites with promises of breaking news, to be met by a rehash of a story or one starting ‘in my opinion’ – awful sites. The trick of the ITK crowd is to be deliberately vague ‘Leeds looking at a Striker – not a name linked before’ – if someone know something, they’d give you his name, age and shoe size. Anyone giving a half story is, in most cases, a clown.
The real transfers are ticking away behind the scenes – Lewis Baker, signed on loan from Chelsea at the weekend, was underwraps until the day before. There is no doubt that some of the names linked, Stockdale, Vydra etc are genuine targets, but there will be a lot of movement going on and a lot of talking. Leeds have learned from the last window when a sense of panic set in and far too many sub standard players were bought. It looks now that we are prepared to take our time, play a bit of hardball with some of the clubs, and getting the right players in. Rest assured, Bielsa would not be here if we didn’t have some high quality targets lined up – as well as back up plans.
Obviously the club want to get them in as quickly as we do, but these things take time – Baker said we’d been in talks for two weeks just for his loan move, but the important thing is to get the right players over the line. If some drag on too long, there are alternatives in place. As frustrating as it is, we need to let the process happen – the transfers will happen. In the meantime, enjoy the world cup (where, incidentally, a lot of the agents will be), keep hitting that F5 button, and I’ll have another look round the Mecure…
Anyway – back to the subject of transfers. There a lot of names linked, a lot of people in the know. It’s these ITK people who muddy the waters somewhat. Some are desperate for followers and their moment of fame, some, are awful clickbait sites with promises of breaking news, to be met by a rehash of a story or one starting ‘in my opinion’ – awful sites. The trick of the ITK crowd is to be deliberately vague ‘Leeds looking at a Striker – not a name linked before’ – if someone know something, they’d give you his name, age and shoe size. Anyone giving a half story is, in most cases, a clown.
The real transfers are ticking away behind the scenes – Lewis Baker, signed on loan from Chelsea at the weekend, was underwraps until the day before. There is no doubt that some of the names linked, Stockdale, Vydra etc are genuine targets, but there will be a lot of movement going on and a lot of talking. Leeds have learned from the last window when a sense of panic set in and far too many sub standard players were bought. It looks now that we are prepared to take our time, play a bit of hardball with some of the clubs, and getting the right players in. Rest assured, Bielsa would not be here if we didn’t have some high quality targets lined up – as well as back up plans.
Obviously the club want to get them in as quickly as we do, but these things take time – Baker said we’d been in talks for two weeks just for his loan move, but the important thing is to get the right players over the line. If some drag on too long, there are alternatives in place. As frustrating as it is, we need to let the process happen – the transfers will happen. In the meantime, enjoy the world cup (where, incidentally, a lot of the agents will be), keep hitting that F5 button, and I’ll have another look round the Mecure…