Leeds United’s 2014

Article by Alex Schroeter

In a year’s time, we will be looking forward to what 2015 has to bring us. By then we could have stormed to the Championship title, won the FA Cup and sitting ten points clear at the top of the Premier League, however that scenario may be considered, by a few, to be unrealistic.

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Back to reality and more immediately, the January transfer window we now find ourselves in the midst of has been the cause of much anticipation for the fans due to the apparent ambition outlined by McDermott and David Haigh. This is a refreshing change from previous years where a transfer window could be deemed successful if we came out the other side and hadn’t sold our squad to Norwich City. Now, we have money to spend with an exciting manager who actually wants to sign good players to will help us progress, rather than a certain Mr Warnock, who seemed to have some sort of Portsmouth loyalty card and the aim of cementing Leeds’ place in mid-table mediocrity with a hoard of mediocre, over-the-hill players, who really weren’t that impressive in their prime anyway.

One potential signing causing much excitement is that of our former Player of the Year, Max Gradel. He has been linked continually over the past couple of weeks and even the manager has come out to say how he has been working on a deal and has sent scouts to France to watch him several times. The 26 year old would be a welcome addition and much needed pace, width and goals, to help out McCormack if he gets injured. Aside from Mad Max, we have been strongly linked with Hull City winger Cameron Stewart, who you may remember scored a fantastic 25-yard volley against us when McCormack beat Charlton. The 22 year old played alongside Scott Wootton in Man Utd’s youth teams is another good option to help solve our problems on the wings, although if he signed along with Gradel he would probably be used more as back up to the Ivorian.

Beyond the January transfer window, there is an unrecognisably positive vibe around the players and fans with a stable, Bates-free board that will make funds available for a young, popular manager who likes the idea of aesthetically pleasing football whilst promoting the use of our fantastic academy. With players like Byram, Poleon, Mowatt and Lees already playing regularly in the first team, there are many more waiting to make the step up. Lenighan, Ariyibi, Chris Dawson, Killock and Lewis Walters are the most notable of our young players who are expected to be featuring at Elland Road soon with Dawson and Ariyibi having already made their debuts. An exciting group of youth players is not unusual at Elland Road but the fact we have managed to keep hold of most of them up to this point shows the progress made, having lost the likes of Elliot Kebbie to Atletico Madrid, Luke Garbutt to Everton and Louis Hutton to Man City, although Hutton has recently had a trial at for Leeds’ Development Squad.

Whether we get promoted or not, I cannot help but think that next season will be good for us. If promoted, then we are a still thought of as a ‘big’ club around the world and would find it easier to attract good Premier League players than the likes of Hull City or Swansea City, when they were promoted, hopefully quickening our progress. If we do not get promoted, Brian will have a very good platform to work off next season and, hopefully, additional funds to help secure a strong claim for automatic promotion.

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