Leeds are at it again!!

Kingp35

Its another bad day for Leeds after they agreed to sell their brightest up and coming star, Aaron Lennon, to spurs. I cant see how we are expected to get back into the top flight when we sell our brightest prospects. Lennon was rcently named Leeds' young player fo the year, he started 20 times last season and looked like a very good player, he is a regular in teh England underage set up and he is a local lad from Leeds. Why the hell would you want to sell them. The word going around is that we are going to use the money to fund other transfers but I dont understand why you sell your brightest prospects who look like they could have a real future at the club.

Ken Bates said this type of thing would stop but obviously it hasnt. The players they need to get rid of are the likes of Joachim,Ricketts,Bakke etc. and not the young players. Number one target this summer was for leeds to buy a winger. This was said by Kevin Blackwell himself and now they go and sell their best and most promising winger. It makes no sense to me at all.

Spurs have got themselves an excellent young player who is going to get better and better and I have to say spurs really are building a team for the future. A bad day for Leeds yet again.

http://www.leedsunited.com/article.asp?article=284889&blnFeedback=&Title=London+Calling+For+Lennon&navlid=newsroom

SteM

What's Leeds financial situation like since Bates took over? How has he settled in and has he upset the Leeds faithful as much as he used to upset the Chelsea fans?

I remember reading an interview in the Sunday Times when he took over but read much about him since then.

Kingp35

SteM wrote:

What's Leeds financial situation like since Bates took over? How has he settled in and has he upset the Leeds faithful as much as he used to upset the Chelsea fans?

I remember reading an interview in the Sunday Times when he took over but read much about him since then.

I have to admit that so far he has impressed me up the point of agreeing to sell lennon. He has brought financial stability back to the club and we are no longer in debt. The recent purchase of Rob Hulse for £1.1m is testament to that. Leeds have recently signed a £1m kit deal with admiral which is quite good for a championship side, he is refusing to pay high wages to players they wish to sign. For example Leeds were trying to sign Lee Clarke from FUlham but he was asking for £12k a week which was a ridiculous amount of money for a player his age and ability. Bates rightly said no.

He has however given Kevin Blackwell the go ahead to bring new players into the club, possibly up to 9 new signings can be made if three or four players go in the opposite direction. They have signed Dan Harding, a left back from Brighton, who is a highly rated player and a regular in the England under-21 team. A number of premiership teams have been chasing him and he is an excellent signing. they are also in the hunt for Ipswich player Tommy Miller who scored about 15 goals from midfield last year. Its a competition between Leeds and Sunderland for the player.

On other fronts the ground work has been done for the deal to buy back Elland road and Thorpe Arch(trainging complex) after leeds sold them and leased them back to raise money for the debt. this may talk some time yet but the ball has been set rolling and this has to be a number one priority.

SO Bates has done a very good job so far and I have to admit I was one of the people who had serious doubts about him after what happened with chelsea but it seems like my doubts are being proven wrong. Leeds are building themselves back up and tbh I cant see them being in the championship for too long. They have an excellent fan base with at least 30,000 at every game which was the best in the championship last season, and from christmas on last season after the team had time to gel they looked like a good side. I think the fact that the clubs future is secure and that Blackwell has a group of players he can work with during pre season means that im looking forward to next season for leeds. I feel a play-off at keast is within their capabilities. The fact that we have a solid base of players to work with can only be good.

I still do not get the decision to sell Lennon though as we dont really need the money and he is an up and coming star. Makes no sense. However this is the only blunder they have made so far so to answer your question: Yes Bates is doing a good job at the club so far.

Bannor

It's a strange one indeed - Liverpool made an offer for him in January and were told that he wasn't for sale at any price.

pickarooney

Is Aaron Lennon that tiny little guy that looks about 11?

SteM

The way the headline read on Cefax made it sound like the player wanted to leave.

Xterminator

Exactly.

If the player doesnt want to stay, you cant really force him!

Perhaps he was unsettled by all the specuation, and Leeds decided to do the wise thing and cash in. The alternative is to have an unhappy player, who would probably lose form, and then not get the same value in the transfer market!

X

Bannor

Spurs are rounding up the young English talent at the moment - they've finally sorted out the Routledge deal with Palace.

Kingp35

It was basically a money decison on Lennons part. He only has one year left on his contract and he is not being paid an awful lot of money at Leeds. Spurs have been sniffing around him for a while now and can offer him good decent wages where Leeds will not break this new wage barrier they have set up.It was made clear that this was one of the main reasons.

Also I think he wanted to play in the premiership next season so I think people are right here that if a player doesnt want to play for leeds and his heart isnt in it then its time to get him out. Still I think the club could have done more to try and keep him.

Serbian

pickarooney wrote:

Is Aaron Lennon that tiny little guy that looks about 11?

This is what he looks like.

Kingp35

Leeds sign Ex-Birmingham City goalkeeper Ian Bennett on a free transfer

http://www.leedsunited.com/article.asp?article=285401&blnFeedback=&Title=Leeds+Net+Keeper&navlid=newsroom

Decent enough signing as cover for Neil SUllivan as we needed to bring someone in after Scott Carson left. He wont be first choice but he is a reliable enough keeper if he should be needed at some stage.