Marching On Together Leeds United Podcast: A disappointing start to the season
This week on the Marching On Together Leeds United Podcast, Daniel and Lee discuss the crazy 3-3 against Portsmouth on the first day of the season, analysing Brenden Aaronson’s cameo, before previewing the trip to West Brom.
Plus! Another transfer window update, and questions as to whether Leeds will do anymore business.
Plus! Another transfer window update, and questions as to whether Leeds will do anymore business.
Transcript
00:00Well, hello and welcome back to the Marching On Together Leeds United podcast and what
00:22an opening day game that was at Eland Road. I'm joined once again, I'm Daniel as always
00:27joined by my Yorkshire Evening Post colleague Lee Sobert who was at Eland Road on Saturday
00:33to witness, as I've just said, quite a crazy opening championship fixture, Leeds 3, Portsmouth
00:403, after what we said on last week's podcast, Lee, I don't think that's what we were quite
00:45expecting was it? I don't think either of us went for 3-3, I think I went for 2-0 or
00:49something like that, I couldn't have gone any further wrong. It was quite funny before
00:53the game, actually, because I was speaking to one of the stewards there, Grant, who always
00:57comes and has a chat, and then he was saying about the post-match video verdicts that I
01:01do, and he sort of said, are you reading off a script, etc.? He said, because it's sort
01:04of like you seem to just go for it, like, you know, without forgetting anything. And
01:07I said, well, no, I said, you know, it's just like, you know, what we do. But I said, you
01:10know, the one you saw, which was the Valencia friendly, I think it was, you know, there
01:14was only a couple of goals, so it was quite easy. I said, it's a bit different if it's
01:17like a 3-0. I literally said to him, it's a bit different if it's like a 3-0 draw or
01:20something. But I wasn't expecting to be then reporting on a 3-0 draw a couple of hours
01:25later. So, yeah, it surprised us all, that one, as well. Well, nothing should surprise
01:29you with Leeds United, though, to be honest, as we'll come to in a minute. But we'll talk
01:33about that game, I'm sure, yeah.
01:34Yeah, it was quite the game indeed. Of course, Leeds did take the lead in it, and at that
01:39point, you thought, you know, everything seems relatively normal. Who knew what was in store
01:44after that? But yeah, so Leeds took the lead, and then it went, I think, was it then 2-1
01:49Portsmouth, and 2-2, and then 3-2 Portsmouth in added on time at the end, and then Leeds
01:54equalised, and then probably could have even gone on to win it 4-3 a moment later, but
01:59we'll mention that when we talk about Brendan Aronson himself. But how do you summarise
02:05it, Lee? I mean, it's obviously, it's perhaps two points dropped, but at the same time,
02:10it's also a point gained, given where they were after about 94 minutes. So, yeah, how
02:16do you see it?
02:17Yeah, I think the only way to look at it as a point gained is, as you rightly say, from
02:22where they were, you know, after the Callum Lange penalty put Portsmouth 3-2 up. I think
02:27that's fair enough, because I think everybody then thought, you know, I mean, there was
02:31a massive exodus when he scored. I think people thought that's it, because even that was like,
02:34I think, two minutes into added time. So, to then come back and get a point, you know,
02:38obviously, it's sort of like salvaging a point, I suppose. But then even then, you know, because
02:41there was even more added time, Aronson should have won it for him, obviously, when he was
02:44through one-on-one. But overall, like, forget added time, if you look at the game overall,
02:49it's a million percent two points dropped. I mean, they should have been absolutely home
02:52and hosed. And I don't really know where to stand on it, really, because the thing is,
02:56is they actually played pretty well. That's the thing. And I mean, and they created so
03:00many chances. I mean, 22 pots at goal. I mean, normally, when you score three, you get three
03:04goals in the game, you're obviously pretty happy, you know, but when you've had 22 attempts,
03:08like, I mean, and especially, you know, you've got to consider they were denied by the crossbar
03:12three times in the opening five or six minutes, you know, and it's no exaggeration to say that
03:17they could have been like four or five nil up after sort of like 20 minutes, half an hour.
03:20I mean, that sounds a bit over the top, but it's not, you know, they were that dominant
03:23in creating that many chances. So the XG was 3.2, you know, so even that, even though they scored
03:28three, that was still lower, well, kind of lower than that. So, I mean, I think in terms of the way
03:32they played, you know, I kind of thought, well, yeah, that looks fairly good. But I mean, there's
03:36just worrying elements to it, isn't there, really? I mean, obviously, first and foremost,
03:41is missing so many chances. I mean, Daniel Farker talked about it in pre-season. He said,
03:45basically, in terms of the XG and, you know, about Leeds being near the top of the table
03:49last season, if they'd taken the chances, they would have been even higher up the table,
03:52which is true. But then yet again, first game back, you see that sort of repeated,
03:55obviously, in terms of missing so many chances. And obviously, the other thing is defensively,
04:01you know, because you can also argue the point and look at this and say, well,
04:05you know, right, might have missed a lot of chances, but they still scored three.
04:08That should still be enough for a victory. And ultimately, you've conceded three goals at home
04:12and you can't be conceding three goals at home every week. That's for sure. You know, I mean,
04:15it's way too many. And two of the goals are just massively avoidable. Obviously,
04:20the penalty at the end with Jadon Bogle's foul. I mean, he had a bit of a testing day. I should say,
04:25I mean, he looked all right going forward, but very, you know, certainly tested defensively.
04:29I mean, that's so the jury's out on that one a little bit. I'm sure he'll settle in and stuff
04:32and hopefully get better with that. But I mean, I know a few fans will say the offence started
04:37outside the box, but, you know, his arm was right around the player's neck and stuff. And you're
04:41asking for trouble with that. So that's completely improbable. Mellier should have saved the first
04:45goal. There's no doubt about that. It basically went straight for him and that was pretty worrying.
04:50I know Daniel Farker's full of praise from afterwards and stuff, but you've got to save
04:53that. And then obviously the second one's basically a bit of a wonder strike, but even
04:56that's like from a cleared corner. So to a degree, they're all avoidable. Obviously,
04:59the second, Callum's first goal was a cracker. But so there's those two facets, isn't there,
05:05defensively and taking your chances. But I mean, I don't think you can grumble in terms
05:10of the chances they've created. As I say, it speaks for itself in terms of 22 shots and
05:13the ex-Gear 3.2. It looks in pretty decent nick. But I mean, the point is, well, literally the
05:19point is, is that it's only a point, you know, when we all talk about how important it was to
05:23start this season with a bang. And, you know, that is one point on the ball, but it should
05:28have been three. And already with that, you know, you kind of look at that now and think, well,
05:32I mean, it's too early to be panicking, but already you're thinking, really do we're going
05:36to West Brom and winning now, you know, because obviously then it suddenly becomes four out of
05:39six, which is a bit more palatable. But if they go to West Brom and even draw, suddenly it's two
05:44points out of six. And, you know, and it might sound a bit exaggerated, but you're already
05:47playing catch up to a degree. I mean, you saw Burnley obviously against Luton. I mean, I think
05:52that put panic stations of everybody, really. I think everybody thought, oh, here we go, you know.
05:57And to be quite honest, even after that game, Burnley are almost joint favourites now. I mean,
06:01not quite. Leeds are still favourites, but I'm not surprised. It looks very, very good.
06:05And basically speaking, I think fans and everybody just want to see Leeds hitting the ground running,
06:09blowing teams away and taking the chances. And they should have done that again. And that's
06:12the way it looks against Portsmouth after 10 minutes, but it wasn't. That's not how it finished.
06:16Yeah, crazy game, as you say, but I mean, I mean, how many of them have we seen with Leeds?
06:20And on to the next, but yeah, I mean, ultimately the conclusion is it's two points dropped and
06:26it's a game they should have won, quite simply. Yes, indeed. It's not the ideal start they would
06:30have wanted for the season. What's more concerning for you, Lee? Is it the fact that
06:35they're missing a lot of chances or the goals they conceded? You know,
06:39Elan Melia didn't have the best of afternoons, obviously, with especially one of the goals
06:43that he let in. So yeah, what's more of a worry? The fact that they've shipped so many to a newly
06:48promoted team or they're missing a lot of chances? I know, obviously, they have scored three,
06:52so you have to give them some slack that way. But yeah, what's more of a worry?
06:56Well, probably defensively, to be honest, because I think if you create that many chances,
07:00then the goals will come. That's probably a bit of a freak day, to be honest. I mean, as I say,
07:0522 attempts and how many games are you denied by the crossbar? Three times. It's a bit of a
07:10cliche, but that was basically just one of those days attacking-wise. I mean, they still scored
07:15three, but obviously they should have scored more. But I think on another day, they will and stuff.
07:18And bearing in mind also, as we'll come to, you would hope to God that obviously another
07:22winger is coming in and hopefully another midfielder who might be a bit more creative.
07:26Obviously, I'm looking at a centre midfielder and a winger,
07:28so that'll obviously help from that perspective.
07:41Right, we'll move on to one of the players from that game, which was Brandon Aronson.
07:47Now, I wanted to bring him up because, of course, first game back for Leeds, well, competitive game
07:52after having spent last season out on loan, Leeds having paid £25 million for him initially
07:57when they were back in the Premier League. He comes on, he scores, he scores a last-minute
08:03equaliser in add-on time, and then he actually could have won the game and made it 4-3. So,
08:10it's quite the interesting day for him, of course. When he came on, we've chatted off air,
08:14saying he had something of a mixed reception, and that's understandable, I think,
08:20given the way he left the club on loan last season. But, yeah, how did he do? I mean, obviously,
08:27very much involved right at the end.
08:29Yeah, well, I mean, I don't know. Again, there's two ways you can look at that. You can say,
08:33like, number one, he came on and sort of rescued a point from which he did with his goal, but also,
08:37obviously, I mean, you've got to score that. I mean, you're one-on-one and you're basically
08:41inside the box just to keep it to beat and, obviously, put it at the wrong side of the
08:44post. And it felt for him, really, because, I mean, I think, like, I don't know about redemption,
08:47would have been there, you know, on that one strike, but it would have certainly helped. And
08:51there's no doubt he would have definitely been the hero had he scored that goal and, you know,
08:54got him off to a winning start. But I'd be reasonably optimistic he'd have a good season
08:59at Leeds, Brendan Aronson, to be quite honest. I think, like, you're quite right. You've got
09:02to remember they've paid £25 million for him. I mean, and, you know, a player with that fee
09:07in the Championship, you know, it's a bit like Routier, who's obviously, you know,
09:1010 more than that. I mean, you know, should be pulling up trees, really. They should be,
09:14like, making hay in the Championship. I mean, not that a price tag is always justified, but,
09:19I mean, you know, they didn't pay that money for nothing, you know what I mean, and stuff.
09:23And I remember speaking to David Prutton just before Leeds signed him, and he'd watched a lot
09:28of MLS games, and he was saying, you know, he was raving about Aronson. He said, I think he can be
09:32a fantastic player for him. He seems to have everything. And, obviously, the thing with him
09:34has always been, like, you know, well, will he get knocked off the ball a bit too much and spend a
09:38bit too much time on the floor and deal with the rough and tumble? But he'd sort of said over the
09:42summer, like, he'd done a lot of work on that and stuff. And, you know, I mean, end of the day,
09:46he came on and, like, you know, fairly soon after coming on, he scored. So, I mean, that's instant
09:49impact, really, and stuff. And it was, you know, neat finish the way he sort of, like, wriggled
09:53around on the edge of the box. And, you know, he should get a lot of goals and assists this season,
09:58I think. And, really, it's just a question of whether or not he can become a first-choice
10:04starter now, because, obviously, he was on the bench for that one. But I think he'll definitely
10:07be knocking on the door, whether it's at number 10 or out wide. So, yeah, I totally get the boos.
10:12There weren't that many. I mean, there were, you know, I was in the West End press area and stuff,
10:16and there were a few when he came on. But, I mean, that's to be expected. I'm not saying that's right
10:21or wrong, but it's to be expected, you know, because, obviously, fans see a player depart
10:25like that and stuff. And I think, obviously, there's always, you know, fan base, there's
10:28always different elements of what people think. But there's always, he's going to get a bit of
10:31stick for that, obviously. But it's a bit like Nonto last season when he handed in a transfer
10:35request and stuff, you know. I mean, like, you didn't really see any way back for him then. And
10:40to be honest, we're sat here now and he's, I mean, he's probably one of Leeds. He is probably
10:44Leeds' most, or certainly one of their most important players and the one that people
10:47desperately for them to keep. So, it can soon change. And, you know, the quality that Aronson's
10:54got, I fully expect it will change for him. I think he'll be a big player for Leeds this season.
10:58And, as I say, it's just whether he becomes a first-choice starter on either flank or at number
11:0210. And a lot of that will depend on what Leeds do in the last two weeks of the window. But, yeah,
11:07a very eventful return for him. There's no doubt about that. And I did feel for him a little bit
11:11because I think he just knew, like, if that went in, like, it would have just helped him,
11:14helped his comeback massively. But Pascal Stroik was asked about him straight after the game.
11:20And he sort of said, we were all a bit gutted for him. He said, but I'm sure the next chance
11:22he gets, he'll put away. So, let's hope he's right. And let's hope there's plenty of them.
11:26But he should get plenty of goals and assists. I'd be surprised if he didn't, to be honest. I know
11:29the jury might be out on him a bit because he didn't do much in the Premier League. But you've
11:33got to say, actually, when Leeds signed him, remember the first few games in the Premier
11:36League, he did start off pretty well, you know, and people were sort of raving about him. It looks
11:40like a very good signing. Then, obviously, it went off the boil, but so did Leeds as a whole and
11:44stuff. And, obviously, he's, you know, a bit older now, a bit more experienced. So, I think it's all
11:49there for him. The physicality thing, I totally get. That is a bit of a concern, but hopefully
11:53he can cope with that. But he should thrive in the Championship, to be honest, yeah. I'd be
11:57surprised if he didn't get quite a lot of goals and assists. Yeah, I just wanted to mention it
12:01because, of course, as you say, it is a story in himself, isn't it? The fact that he went out on
12:06low and sort of wanted that for himself and has now come back and is trying to fight for his place
12:11and was straight into the thick of the action in the first day of the season. But, yes, as you say,
12:25at the weekend, Leeds take the trip to the Hawthorns away to West Brom. That's another
12:32tough game. You know, West Brom were in amongst it last year as well. And, as you say, it's
12:37probably a game they need to go there. Do they even need to go and win at this stage of the season?
12:44To be honest, I kind of feel like that, yeah. I mean, people might say that's getting a bit
12:47over the top, but, I mean, that's the way I feel about it. I think if they'd have beaten
12:51Portsmouth, which obviously they should have done, let's be honest about it, then you sat
12:53here on three points. You then go to West Brom away, which is a very difficult game.
12:58And there's a few things that worry me about this and stuff when I actually look through it and do
13:01a bit of a deeper dive on it. But, actually, if you get three points against Portsmouth and then
13:04you go away to West Brom and you get a point, you're suddenly looking at four points out of six.
13:08You've ticked off one of the harder away games or, you know, well, it will be one of the hardest
13:12away games I would have thought West Brom away. And you sat there with four points out of six
13:15and you're thinking, you know, that's not too bad a start. But, I mean, if they go there now
13:18and get a draw, suddenly it's two out of six and it's a bit like, do you know, like it's not a
13:22fantastic start. And then, obviously, you've got to go to Sheffield Wednesday on the Friday night.
13:26And, I mean, who's to say they'll win there? I mean, they look very, very good in the first game,
13:30admittedly, against a Plymouth side who didn't look very good at all. But, I mean, so that'll
13:35be very difficult. And, you know, we talked about last season, the start of the season
13:39costing them two points out of nine. Well, I mean, if they don't get the right results in these next
13:43two, then they're going to be in the same boat, basically. And there were kind of excuses for it
13:48last summer in terms of, well, there were excuses for it last summer in terms of so many ins and
13:51outs and stuff. Well, outs really, you know, and people leaving left, right and centre. But it is a
13:55much more stable ship this year, notwithstanding the fact that they have lost, you know, the two
13:59best players in Somerville and Archie Gray. So, yeah, I mean, that's really why that Portsmouth
14:05game is so disappointing in terms of the outcome, because it's one you look at and think, you know,
14:09they had the performance and they had it there to have got three points. Because you suddenly then,
14:14you look at it and you remember, like, you think about all the tough games that are coming up in
14:17the Championship. So this is a hard game against West Brom, very much so. You know, you keep an eye
14:23on the betting for the Championship, or I do anyway, all the time. And they massively slided
14:27out West Brom in the betting, because obviously, I think, you know, they've got financial issues
14:31and stuff and whatever. And there was talk about transfer embargo and this, that and the other. But
14:35they're still a very, very good side. And they obviously got off to a flying start. So that's
14:38the first thing that worries me, obviously. 3-1 win for them at QPR, Josh Madger-Hattrick. So,
14:43I mean, that's a striker who's still fairly young and has actually scored quite a few goals,
14:47like relatively speaking, ratio-wise. So I think he's the sort of player who could continue to
14:51step forward. So he's the first thing you're going to have to worry about, 100%. The second
14:55thing that worries me is Carlos Corberin is a very, very good coach. Obviously, ex-Leeds and
14:59stuff, and someone who's been linked to a Leeds job before. And obviously, someone who everybody's
15:03got an awful lot of time and respect for and is a very, very good coach. They'll be so well drilled.
15:08They've got an extra day as well. And that might sound a small thing, but it's not. I don't think
15:12it is. I think it is a big thing in terms of the League Cup games. Leeds, obviously, playing on
15:15Wednesday against Borough. West Brom playing on the Tuesday. So they've got an extra day there.
15:19Leeds have to travel, obviously, as well. It's a lunchtime kickoff. And then you talk about last
15:23season as well. I mean, obviously, they got four points against Leeds. So it's not like, you know,
15:26Leeds did well against them last season and the teams haven't changed drastically that much.
15:30Obviously, they've lost a couple of players as well. But it's a very hard game. And one of those
15:34ones where I look at it and Leeds are odds on with some betting firms. And I'm quite surprised
15:38at that, really. I mean, they're about even money favourites. And I think that's a really,
15:41really hard game. So there's a lot of aspects about this that worry me, to be honest. But I
15:45think if they do play like they played against Portsmouth, you know, and ultimately take the
15:49chances, but also shore up at the back. I mean, they're all big ifs, aren't they? Then there's
15:53no doubt. There's no doubt they can go there and win. But, you know, they've got good players. I
15:58mean, John Swift, again, another player that's been linked to Leeds before in previous years.
16:02Very, very good footballer. Alex Mowat's obviously still there. Rex Leeds, just the sort of person
16:07you could see doing well against them. Obviously, Kyle Bartley, another Rex Leeds man. So they're
16:12stacked out with like solid players. Where they're going to feature this season remains to be seen.
16:18They are still, you know, among the sort of favourites-ish, if you like. I certainly think
16:23in terms of playoff mix, but obviously Carlos will be hoping for more than that. And it was
16:27interesting that he sort of talks about, you know, the financial difficulties they've got and saying,
16:30you know, it's not an excuse. We need to sort of rise above it and sort of come through it.
16:33And they certainly did that on the opening day of the season. So that's a really,
16:36really hard game, no doubt about it. And, you know, two games into the season, it's a bit
16:42early to be saying, you know, it's must-win, you know, because I think it's only must-win when
16:46it's sort of like stuff starts getting literally mathematically out of reach. And obviously,
16:49you're a million miles away from that at the moment. But it'll help everybody if Leeds go
16:52there and win, obviously. And it'll help Daniel Farker because, you know, he's not daft. He'll
16:57know the pressure of the job and stuff. And he'll know that obviously, you know, managers quickly
17:01get under pressure, especially at a club like Leeds. And I spoke to him pre-season and he,
17:05you know, readily admitted himself. He said, we're always seen as favourites and the pressure
17:08is always on us to win. So he'll know if they don't go there and win, obviously,
17:12your two games into the season without one, then obviously, you know, the pressure starts
17:15cranking up and that in turn then makes the Sheffield Wednesday game even more important.
17:20So it does already feel like a very, very big game.
17:23But until then, we'll do what we always do at the moment, which is end with a little
17:36transfer update. Not as a lot has really happened in the last week since we last recorded one of
17:43these, but do you still think they need a winger?
17:47Oh yeah, 100%. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, they need a winger and they need a centre
17:52midfielder. I don't think there's any doubt about that. And I mean, and a fullback as well,
17:55to be honest, I think the fullback might be more of a sort of backup kind of idea,
18:00you know, as in you'd have Jadon Bogle, first choice, right back, Firpo, first choice, left
18:05back. And then obviously you'd have Byron who can play either. But to be honest, I mean,
18:08Bogle didn't start the season fantastically well. I still think he'll be a very good signing
18:11once he settles in and stuff and gets a bit better defensively. But another fullback is
18:15definitely needed for the squad. And when you look at the squad as well, obviously,
18:19there's a few graphics flying around this week and stuff in terms of the size as well.
18:22Leeds have got a pretty small squad when you look at it compared to a lot of the other
18:26bigger teams. I mean, I mean, Scott Parker was talking about having 40 players at Burnley.
18:30I mean, obviously that'll get trimmed down a bit, I think, but I mean, you don't need 40.
18:33But I mean, you know, you need as many, I mean, I know Marcelo Bielsa also did it on a small
18:36squad as well, but you need options. You need strength in depth and for sure Leeds need bodies
18:41in, you know, going to be talking two weeks after the transfer window, but, you know,
18:44after this podcast and they definitely need to be getting players in. And yeah, I mean,
18:49it's not rocket science, is it? A winger has to be top of the list. You lose Crisensio
18:53Somerville, the Championships Player of the Year, 19 goals. You can't just not replace him. I mean,
18:58obviously you could say, well, Aronson's come back. Yeah, get that. And you could say, well,
19:01Joseph's now coming into the team a bit more. But I mean, you need to replace him and they
19:05need to go out and get someone good and they need to make it a statement signing. I think really
19:08that has to be done. And midfield as well, centre midfield, because obviously, again,
19:13not rocket science. You've lost Archie Gray, who, yes, was right back, but also was naturally
19:17a centre midfielder. You've lost Glenn Kamara. All right, you brought in Joe Rothwell, who looks
19:21like he could be quite good. But there's still this, you know, always been this debate about
19:25Leeds since ever since Pablo Hernandez went really in terms of needing someone more creative. So
19:29they need a winger and they need a centre midfielder who can create a bit. And we know
19:32full well, they've looked at Dejan Ljubicic at SC Colne. We know that a bid went in for him,
19:37believed to be around about £3.3 million. But the sort of vibe on that is basically that
19:43Colne are wanting quite a big fee for him, despite him only having one year left on his
19:47contract to such a degree where it sounds like it might price Leeds out of it because they don't
19:51want to be sort of like feeling like they're paying over the odds for somebody. So that's
19:54one to watch. I mean, that could change. Obviously, there's quite clearly interest in there.
19:58So in terms of centre midfielder, that could change. He's obviously the one that looks out,
20:03but there will be other targets. And Jonathan Rowe is the winger one, really, that looks like
20:07if anything that we know of at the moment about to materialise, it will be him. But whether they
20:12can get him or not remains to be seen. And that just comes down to price, obviously. I mean, I
20:16think people were reasonably hopeful they'd get Jonathan Rowe. And I think he'd be an excellent
20:20sign in Jonathan Rowe from Norwich because he's done it in the Championship before and he's still
20:24young and he's in England under 21 internationally. There's not really that many question
20:27marks about him. If he came to Leeds, you'd expect him to sign and score goals and get assists,
20:32whether he'd get as many as Somerville is another matter altogether. But I think he'd be a very good
20:37signing. But obviously, Leeds interested in him as well is well known. Marseille also interested
20:41in him too. And I think as soon as people got wind of the fact Marseille are interested in him,
20:45they thought that's the end of that. A bid from him went in at the weekend from Marseille that
20:49got rebuffed. Whether they come back remains to be seen. But obviously, Rowe's then been taking
20:54out the equation or take himself out the equation at Norwich and training with the 21s. So he's
20:58obviously available. I mean, he's obviously attainable, but it's about price. And the
21:03the reports are that Norwich want around about 15 million for him or something like that.
21:08So I mean, that's a decent whack, isn't it really? But then obviously, if you want a decent play,
21:11you have to play a decent whack. So it's just watch this space really with him. But it's
21:15obviously interested in him and he looks like the one. Raksaki is the one that's got away at
21:20Crystal Palace. That was one that sort of started developing over the last couple of weeks. But
21:24it sounds like Leeds have been looking at him for some time. And we understand that Leeds were
21:30in talks with him over the weekend about signing him. There were talks of a 15 million pound bid
21:34being certainly readied, whether that actually materialised or not. I'm not too sure. But I mean,
21:39you know, that's what the sort of talk was off. But it was always looking more like a loan deal
21:43for him. The key with that one is that Leeds were keen not to sort of guarantee someone minutes in
21:48terms of guarantee a player a certain amount of minutes, which you need to be careful of,
21:51obviously. And it looks like he's obviously going to Sheffield United where he'll probably get more
21:54minutes. But again, they're going to be another key rival, I think. So he's one that's got away
21:59by the sounds of it. Rose, one to keep an eye on. Ljubicic is one to keep an eye on. And then
22:04the defender, obviously, Basia Humphreys at Chelsea. They certainly looked at him, but he's
22:08a centre back. And I think, obviously, they'd rather have a full back. So loads of players
22:13there, obviously, in the mix that we know they're looking at or have looked at. But there's still
22:17two weeks left of the window left. And I think the sort of impression I get from Leeds is that
22:22they don't want to panic, you know, that they think they've got a fully fit squad. They have
22:25still got a good squad and got good players. And there's no doubt about that. But, I mean,
22:29time is ticking and you don't want to be leaving it right to the end of the window to get people in.
22:35So, yeah, there's no doubt about it. We've talked about this for about two or three weeks now,
22:39really. A winger, a centre midfielder and a full back ever since Somerville went. And
22:43they're definitely needed. And to be quite honest, I think it could be the difference between going
22:47up and not. Yeah. Yes, I think you're right. As I say, as we've already said, you can't not
22:53replace someone like Somerville. They need a centre midfielder as well. And it just depends
22:57on how pricings go. But they need to get a bit of a move on as well. And if the prices for those
23:03ones you mentioned aren't right, then they have to come up with new targets pretty soon. Because,
23:07as you said, the time is ticking and you don't want to be left a bit short come the end of the
23:12month. But that'll do it for this week. We've just hit the half hour mark. So that's just perfect.
23:17Very good. But yeah, Lee, it's Middlesbrough midweek and then it's West Brom at the weekend.
23:24Two big games, one in the League Cup, one in the Championship. And Leeds will be looking to
23:29right the wrongs they had against Portsmouth in the first game of the season. But until then,
23:34we will catch you next week. We'll see how those games go and we'll talk about them next time. So
23:39thank you all very much for listening and we'll see you then. Cheers, bye for now.