Here are your latest Leeds United morning headlines from Friday, August 5.
Robles ‘set’ for Leeds
Former Everton and Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Joel Robles is ‘set’ to join Leeds United, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post. Robles is currently a free agent after his contract with La Liga side Real Betis expired earlier this summer.
Norwich and Sunderland had also shown an interest in the Spaniard, who is set to come in as third choice goalkeeper at Elland Road to provide competition for Kristoffer Klaesson.
Jesse Marsch is looking to add to his goalkeeping unit after the departure of Kiko Casilla. Robles started his career at Atletico Madrid but found himself playing understudy to David de Gea and Thibault Courtois in the Spanish capital.
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After a loan spell at Rayo Vallecano, Robles was loaned again in January 2013 when he joined up with his Spanish compatriot Roberto Martinez at Wigan Athletic. Robles played nine times for the Latics as they were relegated, but started in Wigan’s first FA Cup final as they registered an historic 1-0 win over Manchester City.
Robles joined Everton on a five-year deal in the summer of 2013 and played 65 times across five seasons at Goodison Park before returning to Spain. He has spent the last four seasons at Real Betis but fell down the pecking order last season. He made just three appearances last term as Claudio Bravo and Rui Silva battled it out between the sticks.
Struijk shouldering weight of Leeds transfer risk
Progress with Junior Firpo’s injury is accelerating and his rapid recovery is narrowing the window Leeds United must make do without him. The stop-gap, the man who has to make all of this work in the meantime is Pascal Struijk.
The Whites had no interest in pursuing a left-back this summer before the Spaniard broke down with injury ahead of the trip to Australia. By that logic, Firpo’s return to fitness should end any United interest in a new face again.
The closer Firpo gets, the better each scan looks, the more cautiously Jesse Marsch, Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani are bound to consider taking the plunge on another full-back. Many will disagree with the policy of going into a 38-game campaign with one senior, natural left-back, who struggled with form and fitness in his one previous campaign here.
Leeds set for mid-table safety
The new Premier League season is almost here and that means it is prediction time for our Leeds United reporters. Leeds have made a lot of changes over the summer with players leaving and arriving at Elland Road and, if nothing else, this season promises to be entertaining.
No journalist relishes making predictions at the risk of looking very foolish come the end of the campaign, but both Beren Cross and Will Jackson have been brave enough to give their verdicts on the season ahead. Here’s how they see the 2022/23 campaign panning out.
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