New Leeds United boss Paul Heckingbottom has revealed that the club’s transfer structure appealed to him, and honestly admitted he is glad that he will have help in that department.
Heckingbottom has been chosen to replace Thomas Christiansen at the helm of the Whites, and he faced the media in his first press conference as boss on Thursday.
The 40-year-old was speaking ahead of his first match in charge, as the Whites travel to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United in a crucial Yorkshire derby on Saturday.
As quoted by Leeds Live in their live blog (13:04) Heckingbottom said: “You can start to spread yourself too thin. Here I will be involved in it but there will be people to help me. That appealed to me, it was something I had to take advantage of and capitalise on.”
He went on to talk about how the process of pushing through a transfer has changed dramatically in recent years, and admitted that he would leave most of it to others:
“The process of getting a transfer done now has changed dramatically. It’s so tough to get a deal over the line, if we get the process right we can get the right player at the right price. There are all sorts of things involved in it now. They go out there and find the players we want,” he said.
Leeds took the decision to sack Thomas Christiansen after run of seven games without a win, with six of those coming in the league.
That dismal run has left them seven points off a play-off spot, and lying 10th in the league ahead of this weekend’s crucial clash against the eighth-placed Blades.
OPINION
Heckingbottom’s comments on transfer are interesting, and it looks as though his methods will be very different to those of Christiansen. The Yorkshireman looks like a real old school coach, and he will bring that know-how to the Leeds job. His run of fixtures to start are not easy at all, and it will be a baptism of fire for the 40-year-old in the next few weeks. A win against the Blades will be a great start as the Whites look for a play-off spot that now seems unlikely.