Craig Scott

Sun 18 June 2023 19:10, UK

Leeds United may be without a manager but that doesn’t mean they cannot start looking at players to sign this summer.

If they aren’t already compiling a list of players and exploring the possibility of completing deals, they’re setting themselves up for failure in the transfer market and, potentially as a result, failure to win promotion back to the Premier League at the first ask.

Some Leeds fans are looking at transfer rumours right now and rubbishing them without a second thought because there’s no manager in place. It’s not as straightforward as a manager coming in and then signing the players he wants because Nick Hammond no doubt has his own ideas.

Leeds hired Hammond as a football advisor on a short-term basis earlier this month with the view to him helping the club this summer.

The Whites, if you haven’t been keeping up, have no manager, no director of football and a new ownership with 49ers Enterprises taking over from Andrea Radrizzani.

Angus Kinnear has stayed on as CEO to smooth the process but Hammond has been brought in to help out because hiring a director of football cannot happen overnight.

However, hiring a manager and signing players kind of needs to.

We’re over halfway through June and no manager has been hired, no players have been signed and no players have been sold. Leeds aren’t getting anywhere as it stands so Hammond seems to now be looking at players who the Yorkshire club can sign while Kinnear cracks on with the managerial appointment, with a bit of help from Hammond too.

Hammond’s arrival at Elland Road is neither great nor bad news based on his recent spells in football because many point to the work he did briefly at Newcastle, helping them out in their first transfer window under Saudi Arabian ownership.

But then when you look at the work he did at West Brom and Celtic before that you’ll see he played a major role in the Baggies’ relegation from the Premier League and Celtic’s failure to win a 10th Scottish Premiership title in a row.

He caused anger among both fanbases and unbelievably signed Oliver Burke, initially for £15million at West Brom, at both The Hawthorns and Celtic Park.

But Hammond now seems to be using his contacts at West Brom to look at Leeds’ first transfer targets of the summer transfer window.

On Sunday (18 June), The Sun journalist Alan Nixon reported that Leeds United are in hot pursuit of West Brom and Republic of Ireland midfielder Jayson Molumby.

It is understood that the 23-year-old is available for the right price with the West Midlands club finding themselves in a desperate situation due to their financial issues.

Molumby had a rather bland start to life at The Hawthorns but it’s fair to say he exploded onto the scene with Carlos Corberan as manager.

The former Leeds Under-23s boss really got the best out of the dynamic Irishman, who played a massive role in helping turn West Brom’s 2022/23 relegation battle into a bid for promotion.

His two goals away at Midlands rivals Stoke on 15 April helped the Baggies stay in the battle for a top-six finish all the way up until the final day of the season. Unfortunately for them, it was too little and too late with the damage already being done under Steve Bruce.

Hammond no doubt has contacts at West Brom and looking to sign Molumby makes a lot of sense – especially when Corberan is being linked with a move to Leeds too.

Marcelo Bielsa’s former understudy has really got Molumby shining in the Black Country and for his country with the Irishman putting in Mateusz Klich-esque displays.

He’s a bundle of energy, a midfield work-horse who can get up and down the pitch in a flash to contribute both defensively and in the attack.

Last season, he finished with four goals and four assists in 43 Championship appearances. Stats by WhoScored show he ranked third in the Baggies’ squad for tackles per game (1.4) and second among midfielders for passes per game (36.4). He also completed 86 per cent of passes, which is the highest in the West Brmo squad out of players with more than one appearance.

He sounds a lot like former Leeds star Klich, doesn’t he?

Molumby is a complete midfielder who’s shone for one of Bielsa’s disciples, who’s also being linked with the vacancy at Elland Road.

At 23, he’s got a lot left in him and could one day be a Premier League player if he can continue his form for both his club and the Republic of Ireland.

In other Leeds United news, Tottenham are in talks to sign one Whites player that Orta admitted is too good for the Championship.