Leeds United had scouts at Real Madrid Castilla’s 2-0 defeat to FC Cartagena in Sunday, according to Scouts in Attendance.
The Yorkshire giants had men in the stadium to watch the second leg of the Segunda Division B play-off – a match that Castilla eventually lost on away goals after drawing 3-3 on aggregate.
The report doesn’t go as far as to specify which players on either side United were watching, but the club have negotiated with Real recently having brought in goalkeeper Kiko Casilla in January.
#lufc scout watched FC Cartagena 2-0 Real Madrid Castilla on Sunday https://t.co/KFEckYQ9Bx
— Scouts in Attendance (@scoutsattending) June 2, 2019
OPINION
This is good news. Obviously, having a scout in attendance is not guarantee of anything, but it does at least show that United are planning to make moves in the transfer window. Budgets are likely to be tight at Elland Road this summer, and the club are going to have to be fairly cunning in any business that they conduct. If that means looking in the Spanish second division and trying to poach starlets who fall through the cracks at one of the world’s biggest clubs then so be it. Of course, United could well be looking at players with the intention of going into the loan market as well. That could prove to be a wise move. In an ideal world, you want players on permanent deals, but when funds are limited and promotion is an absolute must, there’s nothing wrong with bringing in some young blood for a season or two to get you over the line. Whatever ends up coming of this scouting mission, it’s an exciting update.