Graham Smyth: Leeds unlikely to sign midfielder before pre-season
Leeds United will likely start pre-season without a number of their star players at Thorp Arch next week.
The likes of Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich, Tyler Roberts and Robin Koch have been away at EURO 2020, with some also in the knockout stages.
Marcelo Bielsa will be looking to start his transfer business early, with Victor Orta already admitting he wants players in before July.
That hasn’t happened yet, with midfielders and left-backs on the agenda at Elland Road going into the next Premier League season.
The Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth has shared the chances of a new midfielder arriving at Thorp Arch before pre-season starts under Bielsa.
“Besides, by the time pre-season starts it’s unlikely a new midfielder will be in place and Klich may not have returned,” he said.
Smyth admitted that it could be a big chance for young talents such as Jamie Shackleton to leave a big impression on Bielsa.
“Shackleton will be eyeing an opportunity to forcefully state his case and fight for his football.”
Breakthrough.
Shackleton will have been hoping for more minutes last season at Elland Road, and this could be one of his last chances to shine.
Bielsa preferred his more experienced options for the Premier League, with Pascal Struijk one of the only ones to break through more than others.
We were hoping for more movement on the transfer front already, but major tournaments such as the EUROs and Copa America could slow things down.
Nahitan Nandez is the name that keeps popping up, and it may be hard for him to complete that move while away with Uruguay.
Orta will be waiting in the wings to swoop in, but it looks as though it won’t be happening for at least the next seven days.
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