Less than a week left before the new season starts and a first Premier League campaign in 16 years for Leeds United. It couldn’t be any tougher start, either, with a champion-versus-champion clash with a formidable Liverpool side.
Jurgen Klopp said that he is expecting fireworks from the intense style of play that Leeds United play under Marcelo Bielsa. Leeds United fans are expecting a test against a Liverpool side who are dangerous all over the pitch. What better a test of their credentials than a game against as impressive an outfit as the Reds.
Leeds United will have two new boys on display too in Spanish striker, and £27m club-record buy, Rodrigo Moreno. You can add to that German defender Robin Koch who cost half the £25m the Whites were prepared to spend to land Brighton’s Ben White on a permanent deal. THey might not be stopping there, either:
Leeds are progressing in their bid to sign Croatia Under-21 defender Josko Gvardiol from Dinamo Zagreb. All three parties are happy with the proposed transfer. Fee will be around £18m. Leeds still in talks over Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul. #lufc
— David Anderson (@MirrorAnderson) September 6, 2020
To all intents and purposes, Leeds look to have almost closed what will be a surprising deal for many of their fans. Gvardiol is a young defender with barely a dozen-or-so games under his belt so, for many, the £18m fee being paid is more than a little startling.
Still, long gone (hopefully) are the days of blindly throwing cash around in the hope of finding a gem. At least Leeds United fans can rest assured that proper scouting has been done and that they are getting a good deal here for a player who will surely be a back-up to the Cooper/Koch combination.
It will also be reassuring for any Leeds United fans reading Anderson’s tweet that the club are still in talks with the highly-rated, much-chased Argentinian Rodrigo De Paul.