Kinnear names Leeds U23 star who Bielsa is as ‘excited’ about as Raphinha & Rodrigo
Joe Gelhardt was name-checked in Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference on Monday and he was described as a “very dangerous” attacker by the Leeds United manager.
And Leeds chief Angus Kinnear has said that Gelhardt is a player that Bielsa is as excited about as any of the first-team signings made in the summer.
That includes club-record signing Rodrigo and exciting winger Raphinha.
Sam Greenwood and Cody Drameh – two other Leeds Under-23 summer signings – were name-checked by Kinnear too.
He said that the club are currently planning how to transition them into the first-team.
Talking on The Square Ball podcast Kinnear said, “We’re looking at the development of the Under-23 squad.
“Certainly, Marcelo is as excited about Gelhardt, Drameh and Greenwood as he is about the players we brought into the first team.
“We’ll look at the transition for those players.”
Next first-team stars
Well, this is exciting.
Gelhardt, Drameh and Greenwood were the three big signings for the Under-23s this summer and all three have impressed us at Thorp Arch.
The Under-23s are on top of the Premier League 2 Div 2 table and all three players have been a huge part of the success so far this season.
Gelhardt and Greenwood came with the biggest price tags, at close to £1m and £1.5m respectively.
Drameh signed for £400,000 from Fulham but that could rise with add-ons.
They’re substantial outlays for Under-23 players and it shows how well regarded they are at Leeds.
Bielsa won’t want to rush them into the first team. Gelhardt and Drameh are both just 18, while Drameh is 19.
However, they are obviously on a path through to the first-team squad and if Bielsa is as excited about them as Raphinha and Rodrigo, then the future is looking very bright at Leeds.
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