The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Monday 15th July) Rennes to wrap up Kamara deal
Good Morning. It's Monday 15th July, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road
Rennes to wrap up Kamara deal
Ligue One outfit Rennes will wrap up the £8.5m signing of Leeds midfielder Glen Kamara later this week, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
The Finnish International only joined the Whites last season, penning a four year contract, in a deal worth £5m, plus a 10% sell on clause going in Rangers favour. He made 37 starts and made three assists. Whilst his contributions were nothing to write home about, he was a tidy player and a good passer of the ball! He was only the fifth ever player from Finland to represent the Whites (Sebastian Sorsa, Mika Väyrynen, Mikael Forssell and Aapo Halme being the others).
Does this mean that new loan signing Joe Rothwell was bought in to replace Kamara, or will a new midfielder, possibly Callum O’Hare to arriving shortly at Elland Road. Leeds always looked a little light in the middle of the park last season, especially when Ampadu had to cover for Struijk.
Leeds table £3m bid for Blades defender
Leeds have made a £3m offer for Sheffield Utd right-back Jayden Bogle according to the back pages of the tabloids.
The 23yo, a product of the Derby County Academy has 88 appearances under his belt, since signing for the Blades back in 2020. He's versatile too. He can also play on the right side of midfield, and loves to get forward.
He may not be of the same ilk as Sunderland's Trai Hume, but is a lot better than what we currently have, and Sheffield Utd need to raise funds. Over the weekend Chris Wilder made a statement saying 'every player has a price', but are they realistic in their valuations?
According to reports in this morning's papers, the red side of Sheffield want £7m for Bogle, even though he only has 12 months left on his contract. He will fill a gap at right-back but he is nowhere near Premier League quality.
The clues to Leeds pre-season training camp
Leeds embark on their pre-season training camp of Germany(is there a clue there), shortly after the conclusion of Friday nights game at Harrogate Town.
The trip has been shrouded in secretary. The Germans don’t want Leeds fans to travel, so are keeping their plans classified until the last minute. Reading between the lines however, it may not be too difficult to work out some of their schedule!
According to rblive.de, and backed up over the weekend by Manchester Evening News reporter Conor McGilligan, Red Bull have a 10% ownership in Leeds Utd, which however way to look at it, is considerable!
It may just be a coincidence, but within their stable, RB Leipzig have become a considerable force in the Bundesliga. The energy drink giants have taken the Saxony based club from 5th tier obscurity in 2009/10 to top 4 in the Bundesliga in all of their last six campaigns.
Located next to their stadium, their state of the art Performance Centre boast some of the best experts in sports medicine, physiotherapy, sports psychology, biomechanics, sports science, nutrition, and sports management in Europe.
It has always been high on the 49ers agenda to either upgrade their Training Centre at Thorp Arch (which they do not own), or perhaps up sticks, and move to a completely new location closer to Elland Road. In the past they’ve been linked with a move back to Fulleton Park or the former site of the Matthew Murray School
Leeds Utd’s training facilities are in urgent need of attention. Will they use their new founded partnership with Red Bull to help build an infrastructure the club can be proud of for years to come?
Are we about to see RB Leipzig and Leeds Utd work closely together or is Red Bull, Leeds and Leipzig link just a coincidence?
During his time with Norwich, Daniel Farke used the ASV Grassau Sportspark in Grassau several times to set up camp; so this too must remain a possibility. His opponents during this time included Shalke 04, Union Berlin, Sc Verl, Dynamo Dresden, Darmstadt and former club (when he was playing) SC Paderborn 07. We shouldn’t discount some of these teams being on the pre-season fixture list!
Do Leeds need another forward?
With Patrick Bamford yet to return to pre-season training, following the knee injury sustained towards the end of April, Daniel Farke has a big decision to make, as to whether Leeds need to sign another forward.
It’s hard to believe that the one time England striker is still only 30 years of age. Injuries, especially over the past four years have taken its toll, rendering him slower, and his recovery time longer. With two years left on his contract, and massive wages, it looks like Leeds are stuck with him
Whether Farke brings in another forward may depend on how Mateo Joseph develops over pre-season. The 20yo was used sparingly last season, but showed, great energy and an eye for goal when given the opportunity, netting three times in just over 300 minutes of game time.
Fellow striker Joel Piroe may have grabbed 14 goals last season, but always looked like a wrong piece of a jigsaw puzzle. When Bamford was fit (which wasn’t very often), the Dutchman spent most of the time warming the bench. In other words, the gaffer doesn’t rate Piroe!