On the latest episode of the Lockdown Tactics podcast, Kris Boyd, Robert Snodgrass, Jermaine Beckford and Phil Hay have been discussing the latest goings-on at Leeds United and looking ahead to the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.
One topic of conversation on the recent episode was how Hay expects Marcelo Bielsa’s squad to look next season. The Yorkshire club secured a return to the top flight after winning the Championship title last season, but it seems as if the Athletic writer feels that the Argentinian won’t be making too many signings this summer, and will perhaps stick to a relatively small squad.
Here’s what Hay had to say about Leeds’ squad for next season on the podcast:
“You’ll be amazed as well at the size of the squad that he goes with, because he likes to roll with 18/20 senior pros, tops. He doesn’t want any more than two players per position and ideally, he likes players to be able to spread across positions. So, [Luke] Ayling for example, he can double up at centre-back, and Ben White can play defensive-mid when [Kalvin] Phillips is out.
“So I think they will probably do four or five [signings], tops. I don’t think they’ll go wild and I certainly don’t think he’ll rip it up in any way. I think he intends for this team next season to be very similar to how it is now.”
TIF Thoughts…
From the sounds of things, Hay believes that Bielsa will approach the Premier League in a very similar way to how he approached the Championship in the most recent season. This perhaps makes sense, as the side proved extremely effective in winning the title last season, and they will have eight fewer league fixtures to worry about in the top flight.
Would you be happy for Leeds' squad to stay relatively small next season?
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It will be interesting to see the signings that the Yorkshire club do make this summer, and how similar Leeds’ first starting eleven is next season compared to the most recent campaign in the Championship.