A look at the latest Leeds United headlines on Wednesday, 3 August.
Leeds United duo's contract celebrations sum up why supporters so excited about future
Leeds United duo Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood made a visit to Liam Cooper’s LC6 Academy on Tuesday evening. The Whites youngsters showed their faces and joined in with training on the same day their new long-term contracts were announced.
Gelhardt put pen-to-paper on a new five-year-deal at Elland Road to take him up until the summer of 2027, while Greenwood’s fresh terms will extend his stay until the summer of 2026. Fellow youngster Crysencio Summerville also signed a new four-year-deal.
Both Gelhardt and Greenwood have known each other for several years now having first played together for England’s Under-17s. Their career pathways have taken a similar trajectory since then, both joining Leeds in the summer of 2020 following the club’s promotion to the Premier League.
Premier League announce major VAR change following Leeds United and Wolves controversy
There are plans in place to release audio recordings of conversations between the referee and VAR to supporters, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has confirmed.
A date for the change hasn't been confirmed, but Masters says 'there is a general view' that releasing audio will be seen as a positive. VAR has received mixed reviews since being introduced the Premier League in 2019. The English top flight was the last of Europe's top five divisions to introduce the technology.
Leeds United's Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper have publicly criticised VAR, after Bamford had a late goal chalked off against Wolves in February 2021 and after Cooper was penalised for fouling Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin last August.
A penalty clause and the strange Barcelona request Leeds United rejected in Raphinha move
The transfer saga of Raphinha’s move from Leeds United to Barcelona was one of the most drawn out of the summer so far. Having said that, it feels as though that has been the case for all of their major signings in the window, with Robert Lewandowski’s move from Bayern Munich and Jules Kounde’s switch from Sevilla equally as drawn out.
And based on a report from the Athletic on Wednesday morning, it is no surprise a deal took so long given some of the discussions that took place during the negotiations. Registering signings has been one of Barcelona’s biggest difficulties in the last 12 months and that could be no different in the coming weeks either.
The Athletic claim that while Barcelona are hopeful they will be able to register all of their new signings thanks to the sale of some of their TV rights, they may have to wait until the end of the window when some of their fringe players have moved on. As a result of that, Barcelona are said to have asked Leeds during discussions over Raphinha’s transfer whether they could ‘legally agree’ the deal this summer, but wait until January to officially process it.
Leeds United's winners and losers of pre-season including Bamford, Klich and Firpo
Pre-season is over and in just a few days’ time, Leeds United will be kicking off their 2022-23 Premier League campaign at Elland Road. Wolves will be the Whites’ first opponents and head coach Jesse Marsch will expect to see an encouraging performance after weeks of hard work over the summer.
The Whites returned for pre-season at the end of June and have played five friendlies since, with three taking place during the club’s tour of Australia. Wins have come against Blackpool, Brisbane Roar and Cagliari, while Leeds picked up a draw against Crystal Palace in Perth and lost to Aston Villa in Brisbane.
Some players have stood out over the last few weeks, while others have struggled to make an impact. As the competitive action nears, Leeds Live take a look at the winners and losers of Leeds United’s pre-season.
Leeds United 'make offer' for PSG striker as Whites look to steal march on Newcastle
Leeds United have made an offer in the region of €20 million for PSG striker Arnaud Kalimuendo, according to Media Foot Marseille. They claim that the Whites have looked to steal a march on Newcastle United with reports suggesting Kalimuendo is unconvinced by the Magpies' project despite their interest.
PSG sporting director Luis Campos is open to selling Kalimuendo this summer as he sits behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Mauro Icardi and new signing Hugo Ekitike in the pecking order. Campos is keen to receive between €20 and €25 million for Kalimuendo, so it looks as though Leeds' offer is a decent starting point.
Leeds have earmarked him as someone who could strengthen their forward line and if reports are to be believed, have accelerated their interest after losing out on Charles de Ketelaere to AC Milan. Kalimuendo is a different type of attacker to de Ketelaere but would provide another quality option on top of Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt.
'The Big Leeds United Forum' - How much trust do you place in the manager and coaching staff to achieve success?
Twelve competitive games is nowhere near enough to be sold on a head coach at a football club and Jesse Marsch knows that at Leeds United. The American was walking into a very challenging situation when he arrived in late February with a dozen matches in which to keep an ailing side in the division.
Not only was Marsch hamstrung by injuries, suspensions, limited time for new tactics and a stressful on-pitch environment, but he had to follow one of the club’s most iconic bosses. Marcelo Bielsa ended a 16-year exile from the top flight and found his way onto murals around the county in celebration of his achievements.
Marsch had so much to overcome in those three months, as well as dealing with the stigma around American accents he believes exists in the European game. And yet, somehow, with the odds overwhelmingly stacked against them on the final day, Marsch delivered safety.
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Leeds United's winners and losers of pre-season including Bamford, Klich and Firpo
Leeds United duo's contract celebrations sum up why supporters so excited about future
A penalty clause and the strange Barcelona request Leeds United rejected in Raphinha move
Declan Rice 'has never seen anything like Elland Road' as midfielder hails Leeds United supporters
Leeds United midfielder Sam Greenwood sets his targets after signing new deal
