Francis Coquelin not at Leeds United after new transfer update from Elland Road
Graham Smyth has shared there’s “nothing imminent” on Leeds United signing a free agent.
The Whites are stuck in a midfield injury crisis, with Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev both ruled out for months at Elland Road.
Several names have been linked already, with former Arsenal star Francis Coquelin said to have been invited to Thorp Arch [The Sun, 16 October].
The Yorkshire Evening Post journalist has shut those suggestions down though, with Sheffield United quickly approaching on 18 October.
“There was nothing imminent last night when we spoke to the club,” Smyth said on the Inside Elland Road Podcast (17 October).
“I know there’s a national newspaper report about Coquelin being invited in but that’s not our understanding of the situation.
“It’s just a wait and see and obviously there’s the no small matter of Sheffield United at Elland Road on Friday night for Farke so I expect that it’ll run for a few more days at least but we do know there’s an end point to all of this and if we reach that without an arrival, then there won’t be one.”
Leeds United need to decide on transfer targets soon
Cheikhou Kouyate has been the player most heavily linked with a move to West Yorkshire, with MOT Leeds News understanding that the deal has been blocked after a failed medical.
On paper, it may seem like the West Yorkshire outfit are in dire need of reinforcement but in reality, they’ve got enough quality within their ranks to at least have a stop-gap until Ampadu and Gruev return.
Someone such as Charlie Crew is ready and waiting to be given his debut and would no doubt be chomping at the bit to follow in the footsteps of someone like Archie Gray.
This would not only save the club money in the long run but also give some progression to a youngster who has an extremely bright future ahead of him, resulting in a win-win situation for both parties.
There’s still time for Daniel Farke to decide what’s best for his team of course but at the moment, Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell are the only senior options available.
It feels like D-Day is approaching for a possible decision.
In other Leeds news, Mateo Joseph has shared a confession about his happiness at Elland Road.
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