Here are your latest Leeds United evening headlines for Wednesday, March 1.
Leeds United's Georginio Rutter transfer decision questioned
Jon Newsome has questioned Leeds' decision to spend a club record fee on Georginio Rutter, and says the board should've signed a player who was capable of making an immediate impact.
Rutter has made all five of his Premier League appearances from the bench, and has been presented with his only starts for Leeds in the FA Cup.
The 20-year-old showed promising signs during his 63 minutes on the pitch in Leeds' 2-0 defeat at Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round on Tuesday. However, ex-Leeds defender Newsome believes the club should've invested such a large sum of cash on proven quality, rather than promising talent.
Newsome said on BBC Radio Leeds : “He looked decent but did he look £35m? I don’t think so. He looked a lot better than over the last three weeks. Whether that’s because he got a start or he is finding his feet?
“It’s a big price tag around his neck. But I just think the position that the football club were in, are you going out spending money on that kind of potential or are you going out spending that kind of money on a finished article that’s going to come in and make an impact on their season.”
Javi Gracia inherits Leeds United problem Marcelo Bielsa was at pains to solve for three years
The cup dream is over
No sooner had it started, than Leeds United’s FA Cup run, their best in seven years, was over. Just as supporters were daring to talk up Fulham’s focus on an excellent Premier League campaign and talk down the quality of remaining opponents in the hat, the cup reverted to type and chucked the Whites out.
The 20-year wait to reach the quarter-finals of the world’s oldest cup competition goes on and Javi Gracia is sure to wake up this morning wondering how. The Whites created the better chances, and more of them, yet came away from Craven Cottage with a 2-0 defeat to swallow.
It was a familiar tale of wastefulness around the opposition penalty box for United. Poor finishing, a lack of composure and a missing clinical edge have felt like problems which have dogged Leeds for years.
Georginio Rutter gathering Leeds United pace as Javi Gracia lays out position judgement
There’s no doubt about it, Georginio Rutter’s start to life at Leeds United has been slower than most anticipated. The striker has struggled to find traction and form in a white shirt since his club record move from Hoffenheim in January and he has seen his time on the field restricted.
As a result, Rutter has been a figure of frustration for supporters and while many recognise he is still just 20-year-old and it may take time for him to adjust, the hope was that he could make an immediate impact as Leeds battle at the wrong end of the Premier League table. However, after an encouraging showing off the bench in Javi Gracia’s first game on Saturday against Southampton, the Frenchman was given the nod to start in United’s FA Cup fifth round clash against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
It was the perfect stage for Gracia to get a good look at the striker as he took the opportunity to change up his side somewhat and switch to a formation he felt would bring the best out of his side. The Spaniard didn’t get the result he had hoped for on the banks of the Thames, losing 2-0, a result that saw Leeds exit the competition, but he did see positive signs in attacking areas as Rutter enjoyed his best game yet for United.
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