OPINION
Leeds left it late to make their final signing of the summer, with Arsenal youngster Eddie Nketiah arriving to fill the gap left by Kemar Roofe, who joined Anderlecht earlier in the week.
They got Nketiah over the line with hours to spare, though, and avoided a repeat of the January debacle that saw them miss out on Daniel James from Swansea. He’s now a Man United player.
Incomings
Jack Harrison – on loan, Man City
One of Marcelo Bielsa’s top targets has joined on another season-long loan and bigger things are expected from him this season. He scored four goals last season – Leeds fans want more. Leeds also have an option to make his move permanent at the end of the season.
Ben White – on loan, Brighton
Leeds were short at the back last season and while they’ve brought White in – and he’s already looking impressive – they lost Pontus Jansson and Aapo Halme. This is still a weak point for Leeds.
Jack Clarke – on loan, Tottenham
Leeds fans know all about Clarke and while he’s been sold to Tottenham, he’s got at least one more season at Elland Road. He didn’t start last week and looks like he’s going to be an impact sub for Bielsa this season.
Helder Costa – on loan, Wolves
Leeds have an obligation to make Costa’s move permanent next summer and the £15m is a big statement of intent from the club. They will be desperately hoping that they have secured promotion to the Premier League by the time they have to pay the money. He started from the bench last week but he’ll surely force his way into Bielsa’s side this season.
Illan Meslier – on loan, Lorient
We don’t know much about the 19-year-old keeper but he’s made 30 appearances for Lorient and is a current France Under-20 international. We expect him to be the number two to Kiko Casilla and he could be on the bench against Nottingham Forest tomorrow.
Eddie Nketiah – on loan, Arsenal
Helder Costa might be the player who caused the most buzz among Leeds fans this summer but we think Nketiah has the potential to be the most impactful. He’s a proper goal-scorer, absolutely prolific at youth level for Arsenal, and he’s already scored three for the first-team in 19 appearances. Leeds were short on goals last season. With the number of chances they create, don’t be surprised to see Nketiah score 15+.
Under-23s
Leeds added Liam McCarron on a three-year deal and the former Carlisle winger could well be looking to make an impact in the first-team next season. Striker Rafa Mujica also arrived from Barcelona.
Outgoings
Leeds only lost two major players – Pontus Jansson and Kemar Roofe – and replaced both. The big news is that they held onto Kalvin Phillips and that’s a massive boost for the team. They also successfully cleared the books of plenty of players who haven’t made the grade at the club.
- Kemar Roofe – Anderlecht
- Paudie O’Connor – Bradford
- Tom Pearce – Wigan
- Samu Saiz – Girona
- Jay-Roy Grot – Vitesse Arnhem
- Jack Clarke – Tottenham Hotspur
- Aapo Halme – Barnsley
- Lewie Coyle – Fleetwood
- Mallik Wilks – Barnsley
- Liam Kitching – Forest Green Rovers
- Pontus Jansson – Brentford
- Tyler Denton – Stevenage
- Sam Dalby – Watford
- Oliver Sarkic – Burton
- Bailey Peacock-Farrell – Burnley
- Yosuke Ideguchi – Gamba Osaka
- Clarke Oduor – Barnsley
Verdict
Leeds have succeeded in strengthening their attack from last season – and that seemed like the number one goal for Bielsa. Kemar Roofe was a good forward but he wasn’t an out-and-out goal-scorer and that’s what Leeds have in Nketiah. Costa and Harrison provide brilliance in width. Kalvin Phillips is staying and Leeds showed fortitude in holding onto him amid strong interest from Aston Villa. Angus Kinnear revealed that Leeds actually turned down £35m worth of bids for Kalvin Phillips, Adam Forshaw, Luke Ayling and Pablo Hernandez [Yorkshire Evening Post] and that is a sign of intent for the season ahead. The one weakness as we see it is at the back, where Leeds are paper-thin again. An injury to Liam Cooper or Ben White could plunge the club into crisis. However, Bielsa has always seemed happy with a small squad and a tiny number of centre-backs. That didn’t really work for him last season though.
TiF rating: 8/10