Leeds United: Manor Solomon joins the Whites
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00:00Yes, well, so we have, of course, that signing to come. And then there's another one as well
00:07in Manon Solomon from Tottenham. Now, again, you know, someone who's got that experience
00:13of the English game. Again, it just looks like a shrewd sign, doesn't it? Someone who's
00:18going to come in and most likely hit the ground relatively quickly and hit the ground running.
00:23Yeah, I think so. I suppose the only question mark with him really is obviously the injury.
00:28Obviously, he went to Fulham on loan and did very, very well there in the Premier League.
00:34I think he scored five games in a row, didn't he? Or certainly five of his appearances in
00:37a row at Fulham. So, obviously, he had a big impact in the Premier League there. Then obviously
00:43went to Tottenham and had this knee injury. That's kept him out for some time. So, that's
00:46the thing really with him. So, whereas, obviously, with Ramazani coming in, you know, we expect
00:50him to be sort of like ready to roll kind of thing and be almost up and running straight
00:53away. It'd be interesting to see how long it takes Manon Solomon to sort of get going.
00:57But obviously, Leeds wouldn't have signed him, even if it's only a loan deal, if there's
01:01any concerns on that score. So, hopefully, he shouldn't be too far off. But in terms
01:04of the big if, if they can keep him fit and he can have a clear run of the season, then
01:10he should be an outstanding player in the Championship. As news was emerging that Leeds
01:15were going to get him, I think there was a bit of doubt when obviously it took a while.
01:18But obviously, after the news emerged at the weekend, but basically that was because it
01:22was a bank holiday weekend and also they had to get things sorted out with Spurs and stuff.
01:25I think the general consensus and vibe from people was that this guy could really be one
01:29of the best players in the Championship. And I think that's probably right, really, because
01:34you just look at his credentials and stuff. And obviously, Tottenham don't sign bad players,
01:39obviously, where they're at now and stuff. And went and got him, obviously, from Shakhtar.
01:44As I say, he's a player with Premier League experience at Fulham, obviously a little bit
01:48at Spurs as well, having got goals there as well, Champions League as well, obviously,
01:51at Shakhtar and goals there as well. Stacks of international experience, was it 37 caps for
01:56Israel and seven goals? I mean, that's no mean feat. And a good age at 25, not someone who's
02:03still probably getting better and obviously an awful lot of future ahead of him, but someone
02:07who should be coming in ready to go, really, like I say, and stuff. He should be an excellent
02:12signing. And obviously, talk of Ajax wanting him as well before Leeds sealed the deal. As we speak,
02:18he hasn't signed yet, but that's expected to go through. So, a player in demand and obviously,
02:22as I say, a player that Tottenham went and signed. So, I mean, you can just sort of see why he'd be
02:26such a good sign. And as I said, the big thing with him is about the fitness and if they can
02:30keep him fit. But hopefully, there's no worries on that score. Again, where he'll play, another
02:35one you could see sort of anywhere across the front line. I suppose the thing is with Leeds,
02:38it's like it's always been a case of, well, who are we going to get as the new number 10? And
02:42whether you see him as like the new number 10, again, maybe he's more of an attacking midfielder
02:47or a straight winger. You just have to wait and see really. But as I say, most players across the
02:51front line these days are pretty versatile. So, they're expecting to be able to sort of operate
02:55in any of those roles. And obviously, the other thing you've got to remember with Leeds is that
02:59you've got Aronson coming back now, who very much looks like he's an excellent fit at number 10.
03:04And Willy Nonto can also play there as well. He very much drifted in the Sheffield Wednesday game.
03:08So, they've already got, especially with Solomon coming in, they'll have lots of options at number
03:1210, whether there's like a sort of real established number 10, who's just a number 10,
03:18remains to be seen. But most players, as I say, can play across the line. So, yeah, as I say,
03:22Premier League experience and goals, Champions League experience and goals, international
03:26experience, he basically ticks all the boxes really. But the fitness thing and the knee
03:30injury is the one sort of thing that you'd think about. But hopefully, that's not a worry. And
03:35yeah, I mean, him on the back of Ramazani is two very, very good attacking signings,
03:40no doubt about it. And that's not going to be the end of it, hopefully. That's what we're
03:45thinking here. Leeds are going to go for it, basically. Obviously, a lot of fans getting
03:48worried in the window about basically missing out on so many targets and stuff and leaving it very,
03:54very late. But the 49ers certainly seem to be going for it in the very last week and stuff.
03:57So, obviously, those two coming in. And then even after that, there's sort of like, obviously,
04:02Daniel Farke said he needs another midfielder, i.e. sort of like a centre midfielder and stuff.
04:05So, obviously, Ljubicic is the one they've been looking at there. And then even then,
04:09they're still looking at another attacking player, hopefully. I mean, obviously,
04:12Roland Salah is the big talk about him. So, we'll see what happens there. And Fullback is another
04:16option. Another thing that Daniel Farke has talked about. Max Aarons, obviously, is someone
04:19that they're interested in there and the other people as well. So, we're speaking here before
04:23the end of the window, obviously, and things can change very, very quickly. But, I mean,
04:26what we do know is that Largi Ramazani has signed and Mano Salah is about to follow him in as we
04:30speak now. And both of those are very, very good signings. And it's a massive, massive thing when
04:35you lose Somerville and Routier, obviously, you know, like two huge players. And I think
04:39between the two of them, it was 50 goal involvements between the two of them. I mean,
04:42that's massive, you know, in terms of goals and assists. But those two should go not a long,
04:46long way to sort of like help them fill that void, especially when you've got
04:49Aronson coming back and you've got Josef developing and hopefully Nantes sort of,
04:53you know, sticking around and thriving too. So, looking a lot, lot better. And,
04:56you know, with players like that coming in, you can see why Leeds are suddenly favourites again
04:59to win the league. Yeah, no, I fully agree. I mean, obviously,
05:03knee injury aside, it's building a squad that can win the championship and get out of it,
05:08but also then compete in the Premier League as well. Cause you've got to consider that because
05:12you don't want to have to go to the Premier League and then have to spend an awful lot more money.
05:15You obviously have to do some reinforcements because you need depth going into the league
05:20above, but you need to build a squad. That's a, as I say, good enough to win this or get out of
05:24this league. And then also be good enough to compete and stay in the league above as well.
05:30It's a really good point. It's a really good point, actually. And that's something Daniel
05:33Farke has said himself at quite a few presses before. He's basically said that obviously,
05:37you know, he wants to be the man to take this club into the Premier League. I mean,
05:40that's the goal, isn't it? Obviously, you know, that is the chief goal at the moment. And,
05:43you know, let's not get carried away just because the title favourites means nothing,
05:46you know, I mean, they might end up, you know, sort of having a disastrous season,
05:49but I can't see it. I mean, I'd be amazed if Leeds were, you know, I would be amazed if they
05:52weren't at the very least challenging for automatic promotion, if not sealing it,
05:56they really should be with that squad. But Daniel Farke has always said that
06:00hopefully once he takes Leeds up or gets them there, and speaking very honestly,
06:06because you know things can change quickly, however long he's around, you know, he wants
06:09to take Leeds up and to have Leeds in the Premier League, as you quite rightly say,
06:13with a squad that can survive and not just survive, survive and thrive in the Premier
06:17League, you know, not just go up and then suddenly go straight back down again and just
06:21be struggling around. I mean, obviously, under Marcelo, they had an excellent first season back
06:26then, obviously, you can talk all day about whether the board should have stuck with Marcelo,
06:29etc. I mean, in the end, obviously, the Premier League stay came to a very, very quick end.
06:34But yeah, that's that is very, very good point, you know, and obviously,
06:37Solomon's just a loan deal. But I mean, I don't think there's any option to buy,
06:40but you never know what happens in the future. But Ramazani's one for the long term, isn't he?
06:45And, you know, you've got people like Ampadu, a young captain and stuff,
06:47may have got Roden on a permanent deal. So it is basically building a squad, quite rightly,
06:52as you say, that should be capable of getting out of this division, but should also,
06:55with a few additions, once they hopefully get there, you know, be more than good enough to
07:00survive and move on. Because that's what people want for this football club. They don't want to
07:02be bobbing around between the Premier League and Championship constantly. You know, they want to
07:05be sort of in the Premier League and challenging long term. That's not a big thing, but this is
07:10Leeds United. That's what people want. You can't afford to become a yo-yo club,
07:15you know, like others have them because it's not sustainable because then, you know,
07:19you're going back and forth and your squad's unsettled, players come, players go,
07:23very inquiry, quick succession. So it's not good for the club. But yes, so far it's been,
07:29well, I say so far in this last week or so, it's been a lot more positive for Leeds, as we have said.