Transfer deadline day is here and for fans of Premier League clubs it looks set to be a busy one. The stakes are high and a heap of teams will be looking to do business today in order to give themselves the best chance of achieving their goals.
Leeds United are no different and we’re expecting comings and goings at Elland Road before the 11pm deadline this evening. It’s already been a busy one for the Whites, with Max Wober and club record signing Georginio Rutter arriving at the club, while Mateusz Klich and Max Dean have left on a permanent deals.
Loans have been found for Joe Gelhardt, Leo Hjelde, Alfie McCalmont and Cody Drameh, too, as the quartet look to continue their development away from Leeds. The addition of Weston McKennie has now been confirmed with his loan switch from Juventus completed last night.
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However, the American won’t be the only late piece of business Leeds are involved in. Here’s a look at how today could pan out with best and worst case scenarios.
Best case scenario
The signing of McKennie is a statement of intent moving forward, that is for sure. The midfielder has been a regular under Massimiliano Allegri in Serie A and he has made five appearances for Juve in the Champions League this season.
It’s a serious signing and one that Jesse Marsch will feel will significantly bolster his midfield as he looks to lead the Whites away from danger over the second half of the season. McKennie is expected to be followed through the door at Elland Road by Servette defender Diogo Monteiro, who has been in Leeds this week.
Leeds will be content not to make any more additions, but they could be saying farewell to one or two players. Diego Llorente looks set to join Italian outfit AS Roma on a loan with an option to buy, with Leeds set to recoup the money they paid for him back in September 2020.
Llorente has fallen down the pecking order at Elland Road and his departure is seen as one that suits all parties as he looks to work his way back into the reckoning for Spain selection. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see one or two more youngsters leave on loan in order to get game time over the second half of the season.
Other than, that, though, unless something unforeseen emerges, the other piece of business occupying the minds of Leeds will be the future of Jack Harrison. Harrison is attracting interest from Leicester City, with reports at the weekend claiming a bid was made.
Leeds, though, are keen to just not keep hold of the winger but secure his long-term future with a new contract. Predicting how deadline day could go is a fool’s errand but Jesse Marsch will be keen to see him report for training at Thorp Arch tomorrow morning.
Worst case scenario
Again, unless anything pops up out of the blue, it seems the worst case scenario revolves solely around the future of Harrison. Leicester City have already signed Brazilian winger Tete in the last few days, but should the Foxes step up their interest in Harrison with another bid, things could get trickier.
Harrison has struggled for consistency on the field at times this season, but he showed what he can offer on Saturday against Accrington Stanley, firing Leeds ahead in the game with a piledriving effort from 25 yards. He impressed throughout that game to help Leeds secure FA Cup progression and that came after a couple of bright outings in the Premier League.
Jesse Marsch said on Saturday at the Wham Stadium that Harrison wasn’t itching to leave Elland Road. If a deal were to be struck though, it would come as a blow to the head coach and, while Leeds do have plenty of wide options, they could even potentially find themselves mulling over the notion of a replacement as the clock ticks down.
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