Summer Transfer Rumours

[Genghers]

Just thought I'd start it off slightly early!

One of Cellino's lads has started it off for us, claiming that the following will be coming to Leeds.

Davide Astori.... 27 yr old Italian defender, 6ft 2 inches tall (in case you like your CBs tall.

Victor Ibarbo.... 23 yr old Columbian striker, supposed to be lightning quick.

Adryan..... 20 yr old Brazilian attacking midfielder (currently on loan from Flamengo?)


There we go, the first of many.

All have decent records, wouldn't mind any of them coming in. Doubt we will get them though as they're all pretty highly rated... (I know it doesn't mean much, but Ibarbo has a 77/99 rating on FIFA this year!).

Cellino has also said that he wants to focus on English players as foreign players (particularly Italians) find it difficult to adapt over here. Which makes this all the more interesting:

This one, about Southend goalkeeper Daniel Bentley has cropped up several times - and is more believable than a load of internationals from Cagliari

If Butland stays at Stoke, then I like the sound of this lad. Big and commanding (and probably better than Cairns).

I think we could easily get £6 Million for Ross. West Ham, Leicester, Palace, Cardiff (again) all rumoured to want him. Time for a bidding war.

I would certainly take £6m for McCormack. Yes he's had a great season in an under-performing team, but with that money we could bring in two strikers who give us more variation. That said, if Cellino really does have deep pockets then we should keep him and bring in another (preferably pacey and strong) striker who can add another dimension to our attack.

I would class us as only really having two strikers this season: Smith and McCormack. Hunt has been dreadful, and Poleon hasn't featured since early in the campaign for whatever reason... It would definitely be in our interests not to lose 50% of our stirkeforce before bringing other players in first.

[Gino 1959]

Goalscorers are out there, I personally would like to see two strikers scoring for fun rather than be relient on one man as has been the case at Leeds this season

Joe 'The Goal' Gormley and Liam Boyce at Cliftonville - 30 goal+ strikers in a back-to-back title winning team!

[mav]

I think Smith has had a decent first season in the Championship tbh - would also expect more goals if we had actually played with width.

Selling him or Ross would be folly (unless they want to go).

As for players wanting out, why would you on the cusp of the changes.

[Genghers]

Joe 'The Goal' Gormley and Liam Boyce at Cliftonville - 30 goal+ strikers in a back-to-back title winning team!

Surprised if we haven't looked at them, given McD's links in Ireland...

Got Robbie McDaid coming in in the Summer too, so that adds another player to the strikers list. Don't really know what happened with that transfer - did he sign on pre-contract terms and continue to play for Glenavon, or has he been training with our squad?

[Genghers]

Just to emphasise Ross' impact this season further:



(Wow, that's big sorry!)

[HarryofOz]

No offence but that is a fake conclusion. I'm not diminishing Ross' contribution but you cannot simply assume that if someone were playing in his place that he wouldn't have scored any of the goals that Ross scored. Plus his replacement may have scored from opportunities that Ross missed.

You could use the same logic to argue that if Kenny/Butland hadn't been playing then none of the goals that they conceded would have been conceded.

[Gino 1959]

Surprised if we haven't looked at them, given McD's links in Ireland...

Got Robbie McDaid coming in in the Summer too, so that adds another player to the strikers list. Don't really know what happened with that transfer - did he sign on pre-contract terms and continue to play for Glenavon, or has he been training with our squad?

McDaid played about 2 first team games for Glenavon whereas Boyce/Gormley have good experience. So McDaid must be some player if the others are being 'overlooked'!

[theleedsmango]

No offence but that is a fake conclusion. I'm not diminishing Ross' contribution but you cannot simply assume that if someone were playing in his place that he wouldn't have scored any of the goals that Ross scored. Plus his replacement may have scored from opportunities that Ross missed.

You could use the same logic to argue that if Kenny/Butland hadn't been playing then none of the goals that they conceded would have been conceded.

Indeed, the impact is somewhat skewed. Though I think the overall point, that without McCormack's goals we'd be a lot further down the table, still stands. His replacement would score some goals but there's very little chance he would equal or exceed the top goalscorer in the league's tally. McCormack's goals have turned losses into draws and draws into wins. With a better team, his impact might not have stood out so much.

[The Subhuman]

but there's no argument there is there...What might have happened without Ross would be pure conjecture. All the variables would change and yes the outcome could have been we got relegated, but there would be an equal chance we could have got promotion...

The season after we lost 25 (?) goal Beckford (league 1) we were in the Championship (I think we'd all agree a tougher league) We replaced those 32 goals with...nobody...so losing 25 goals and not replacing them means relegation right?...especially in a tougher league.....surely?..


Ross has had a great season as a striker, has also spent a portion of it as a poor captain. Is probably worth more now than he will ever be because he's probably had his best season ever. He himself would probably love a crack at the premiership..

I can't think of many teams that have been successfully built around a striker...if we try we build our house on sand

[Martyn]

but there's no argument there is there...What might have happened without Ross would be pure conjecture. All the variables would change and yes the outcome could have been we got relegated, but there would be an equal chance we could have got promotion...

The season after we lost 25 (?) goal Beckford (league 1) we were in the Championship (I think we'd all agree a tougher league) We replaced those 32 goals with...nobody...so losing 25 goals and not replacing them means relegation right?...especially in a tougher league.....surely?..


Ross has had a great season as a striker, has also spent a portion of it as a poor captain. Is probably worth more now than he will ever be because he's probably had his best season ever. He himself would probably love a crack at the premiership..

I can't think of many teams that have been successfully built around a striker...if we try we build our house on sand

Dead right, you never build a team around a striker, it has to be based on a solid defence and creative midfield.

The Revie team could never have been built around Allan Clarke, he was the icing on the cake.

[Martyn]

Kenny considering his future

[HarryofOz]

Kenny considering his future

He only has to wait until Warnock gets a job somewhere

[The Subhuman]

He the kind of icing I'd love to bring off the bench on the hour mark if a little impetus was needed....no way he'd settle for that and why should he. Somewhere out there there will be a good fit for him but I don't think it's here and we'd be crazy to attempt to build around him....

I've lost count of the number of teams in any sport that get better when they lose their star player...

[hibbi86]

I've lost count of the number of teams in any sport that get better when they lose their star player...

My beloved rugby league team Castleford Tigers lost their star player to Salford last year we were middle table but someway off the play offs.

Everyone thought this year would be a struggle as he was the creative spark that got us so many trys last year. We are currently second by 1 point losing only 2 out of our 10 games so far and winning the other 8.
The games we have lost were by 2 points to top of the league and by and 7 points to big spending salford

With Rangi Chase going it just ment other players stepped upto the plate and we are now performing better as a team rather than looking to just one many to make things happen.

[1964white]

He the kind of icing I'd love to bring off the bench on the hour mark if a little impetus was needed....no way he'd settle for that and why should he. Somewhere out there there will be a good fit for him but I don't think it's here and we'd be crazy to attempt to build around him....

I've lost count of the number of teams in any sport that get better when they lose their star player...

Burnley FC for one

[The Subhuman]

My beloved rugby league team Castleford Tigers lost their star player to Salford last year we were middle table but someway off the play offs.

Everyone thought this year would be a struggle as he was the creative spark that got us so many trys last year. We are currently second by 1 point losing only 2 out of our 10 games so far and winning the other 8.
The games we have lost were by 2 points to top of the league and by and 7 points to big spending salford

With Rangi Chase going it just ment other players stepped upto the plate and we are now performing better as a team rather than looking to just one many to make things happen.

in American sports they call it next man up

[theleedsmango]

Dead right, you never build a team around a striker, it has to be based on a solid defence and creative midfield.

The Revie team could never have been built around Allan Clarke, he was the icing on the cake.

I don't know why this "we can't build a team around McCormack" keeps popping up as a defence. No one is saying we should, or indeed do. I would never say a good team is built around any one player. Barcelona have Messi, and while they play a style that benefits him, they don't build tactics around him. How on earth does McCormack playing influence what Murphy would be doing, or whether Pearce starts over Lees? Please explain how me saying "We'd be stuck without McCormack, look at how important his goals have been" translate to "We need to build a team around a striker?"

[Gino 1959]

I can't think of many teams that have been successfully built around a striker...

What about other team sports? Do RL/RU build around backs or forwards? NFL, faaip? I suppose the prime example are - in football - the gooners with their infamous back 4 against whom not many scored.

Ideally, a mean defence, a creative AND industrious MF and strikers in regular contract with the onion bag.

[ldsutd]

My neighbours next door neighbour who works for a window cleaning company had seen Alan Smith's wife talking to her hairdresser and they was talking about Alan Smith coming to Leeds honest.








I just thought i would get the Alan Smith rumour mill started because this thread wouldn't be the same without it

[Twiggster]

My neighbours next door neighbour who works for a window cleaning company had seen Alan Smith's wife talking to her hairdresser and they was talking about Alan Smith coming to Leeds honest.

I just thought i would get the Alan Smith rumour mill started because this thread wouldn't be the same without it

If I was still Admin on here, I'd ban you for that post