TalkSport host Jamie O’Hara has slammed Leeds United’s recent transfer moves after losing star men Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha – and is worried for the club next season.
The Whites narrowly escaped relegation last term after a woeful campaign under former boss Marcelo Bielsa and new manager Jesse Marsch, and have since lost two of their key men in Phillips and Raphinha to Manchester City and Barcelona respectively.
As a result of these transfer moves, O’Hara believes the club could face the same problems this upcoming season, and likened their incomings so far as ‘shopping at Poundstretcher’.
He said on TalkSport: “We’re talking Raphinha, he’s gone to Barcelona, you’ve lost Kalvin Phillips. Now, I’m not digging out Leeds here, but for me, if I was at that football club and I was a fan of that football club, I’d be worried. I’d be concerned thinking we’re in big trouble.
“They’re shopping at Poundstretcher.”
TIF Thoughts on O’Hara’s comments…
Losing one of your best players is always going to leave a hole in the squad, but losing two of them in the same window is going to be incredibly hard to replace for the best teams in football, let alone a struggling side like Leeds.
While Phillips struggled with injuries last season, he was consistently one of the side’s better players and a big part of their central midfield which now only consists of Adam Forshaw, Mateusz Klich and new signing Marc Roca.
Raphinha, on the other hand, bagged 11 goals for the Yorkshire outfit last season and only Jack Harrison also managed as many as 10 goals across all competitions, so he will surely be missed.
Leeds have managed to raise as much as £100m for their star players and this gives them a lot of money to work with, but with their current standing in the Premier League and their fairly unproven manager, it may be difficult for them to bring in players on their level.
That said, it is far too early to tell whether their current signings are good enough to keep them afloat this coming season, despite O’Hara’s apparent concerns.
Will Leeds survive next season?Yes
No
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O’hara you are an embarrassment. We did not sell these players. They did a job for us and wanted to go to higher pastures. I bet 3 years ago you had hardly heard of Phillips let alone Raphina. The same can be said of our “poundstretcher” signings as you call them. All Internationals in their own right. You show not only a lack of knowledge but a total lack of respect. Who are you anyway?