Leeds United are right to hold on until the summer window - Ritchie09:58 Saturday 06 February 2016
STEVE EVANS have spoken about the difficulties in the January transfer window for Leeds United in terms of attracting some players who were wanting to go to clubs with squads who were challenging for promotion and I am sure it will have been an issue for him.
Aiden McGeady was one player who was linked with Leeds along with some other clubs, for instance and he has said that he wanted to join Sheffield Wednesday because of their promotion aspirations.
If you are coming down from Everton, he will have been wanting to go straight back up in the Premier League as soon as he can.
With the options he probably had – and I am not being disrespectful to any club here – Leeds you would say are the bigger club. But in terms of where they are at the minute, Aiden has probably thought he has a better chance of getting back up with Sheffield Wednesday, so he has plumped for them.
But that said, looking at Leeds’ position, while they haven’t spent millions, I do think it is probably the right way they have gone in the window.
Steve has probably sat down with the president and has said: ‘You never say never, but it is looking more likely that we will not get in the play-offs’. It is then a case of having a look at what is in the pot in the summer and trying to do something more then.
It is one of those. You have to think: ‘Is it worth chasing it realistically by throwing money at signings and wages given the club’s position this season’?
It might just be the prudent approach that they have taken and then maybe use the money to have a go next season and see how they go in the summer.
For me, you always get your better signings in the summer anyway and Steve will have a better handle of what he needs and who he wants to ship out and buy in. So it might be the sensible thing and approach about it.
In the summer, there’s a lot more good players out of contract as well, don’t forget. So not spending millions at the minute when the club aren’t likely to go up is probably the right option and decision for Leeds to take at the minute. Reassess and go for it next year.
I think the decision to curb the spending is more to do with Leeds’s position than anything and they have obviously brought in Toumani Diagouraga, Liam Bridcutt and Mustapha Carayol, so have done some business.
Don’t forget that Leeds, despite the sale of Sam Byram, have kept the likes of Lewis Cook and Charlie Taylor, who are key players as well.
Looking at Steve’s reign so far, he’s done very well, to be fair. It is not an easy place to come and ply your trade, we know that and it will have been in the back of his mind.
He knows the president is demanding and given everything, he has done well enough for me.
Steve has spoken this week about his strong belief that Leeds can mount a promotion campaign next season, with his confidence such that he has said he would re-sign part-way through if they were not.
Doing that, he has certainly put himself in a position. But to say that, he must be confident that if he can add the people he wants in the summer that he will not be far away in terms of where Leeds can go.
I don’t think it would be my words and I wouldn’t be bulling myself up that much and making a big statement like that! But that is just not me and Steve will be thinking differently and he is his own man.
Onto the FA Cup draw and while Watford away is not the most glamorous draw that they could have wished for in the fifth round of the competition, it is still potentially a winnable one. Cup games are strange things, we all know that and that’s why we love it so well. It’s a one-off game and there’s always a chance and you never know.
Leeds are quite capable of doing it and there’s no reasons why they can’t at Watford, who will be the favourites and have the pressure on them.
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http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/latest-lufc-news/leeds-united-are-right-to-hold-on-until-the-summer-window-ritchie-1-7719223#ixzz3zNwvHX00
