Leeds United got to work quickly in the summer transfer market this year, as they followed their near-brush with Premier League relegation with a spending spree.
In came the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca, Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra as the club looked to add depth to their squad, albeit at the cost of losing Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha to Champions League contenders Manchester City and Barcelona respectively.
These two key departures were replaced with relatively little fuss, while one of last year's problem areas central midfield was boosted. Leeds were able to seal deals for all these first-team-ready players before the pre-season trip to Australia, making integration into Jesse Marsch's set-up that bit easier.
READ MORE: Leeds United transfer news LIVE - latest on striker search
Two key areas remained however, in the shape of left-back and a new forward. Pascal Struijk has ably filled in at left-back while Junior Firpo has missed out through injury, but with Patrick Bamford's injury issues carrying forward into the new campaign, many fans are clamouring for a new forward.
The window closes later this week, but what have the key figures in the Leeds United recruitment team said about the prospect of another signing before Thursday's deadline? We take a look...
Andrea Radrizzani
“We’re happy at this moment with how the squad is,” Radrizzani told The Athletic at the start of August. “I have a lot of confidence with Joe Gelhardt together with Patrick Bamford coming back this season.
“I’m really relaxed with the team and confident that we will do well. We are actively monitoring and discussing with Jesse and Victor. We are still looking at an opportunity for an offensive player. It could be a number nine or it could be a number nine/10.
“We don’t know yet that depends on the profile. Also a left-back because of the injury to Junior [Firpo] but anyway he is coming back soon so we are monitoring. We don’t have to do a deal at any cost”
The Italian also addressed the Charles de Ketelaere situation, after Leeds missed out on the Belgian forward to AC Milan.
“We are active but Charles de Ketelaere was a special player,” Radrizzani admitted. “We were all in agreement to make a big effort. We offered €40m and we agreed €40m with Brugge.
“It was an important investment for the future of the club. For the other players, unless we are really convinced 100% that we will improve, if not we don’t move.”
Angus Kinnear
Angus Kinnear used his programme notes in Leeds United's last home fixture, the 3-0 win over Chelsea, to give an update on where the club stood with 11 days of the window remaining.
“One of the striking features of our first two fixtures has been the speed of adaptation of our new signings,” said Kinnear. “It is notoriously challenging for many players to transition to the Premier League and it can often take over a season, so it is a credit to both the scouting team and the coaching staff this summer’s recruits have embraced both our football philosophy, and the rigours of the most competitive league in the world, so rapidly
“The positive integration has not just taken place on the pitch and the sense of camaraderie and professionalism at Thorp Arch, which has been at the heart of our renaissance, has been strengthened and not diluted over the summer. Completing the majority of our business early in the window has been key to this success, with the full squad being able to benefit from the full pre-season and the bonding experience of two weeks in Australia.”
Kinnear then addressed the issue of further incoming in that column: “While we will remain vigilant for the last two weeks of the window, it seems player availability is becoming more challenging,” he added.
Prior to this latest update, Kinnear also spoke more about Leeds' transfer progress in an interview with The Square Ball Podcast.
“It’s an ongoing process," he said . "It’s not like we sit down and go ‘we missed out on Charles, let’s go to the pub.' The process is continuing.
“We’re not at a stage where we have a firm agreement in place with a club or a player. We’re also not in a position where we have a clear number one target who we know is available and in our reach.
“The funding is there, the will is there, but at the same time, we know we can’t make the mistake of getting somebody who doesn’t work. We’re not going to panic, and we won’t get someone who we don’t feel has a real chance of success. There are no obvious, immediate second choices, but lots of names are being circulated and lots of work is being done.
"Fans will hate me saying this, but we have a real confidence in the squad we’ve got. We have Patrick, there’s still lots to come from Rodrigo, and we think Joffy can have a breakout season.”
Jesse Marsch
The latest on-the-record update from the club came via head coach Jesse Marsch during his pre-Brighton press conference on Thursday. He was asked how likely it was that Leeds would add to his squad and in particular about the club's search for a new striker:
"Striker, yes," he responded. "How likely it is is dependent on how things play out and what availabilities are of players and we certainly don't have a surplus of big amounts of money to go out to spend and bring in a huge transfer but I think we've done a good job of evaluating players that are of high interest to us.
"Then we're waiting to see and having good communication with different clubs and agents and players to see if there might be flexibility and what their contracts are and what their situations are that we can still add a quality piece to what we're doing."
We will find out if Leeds United do manage to bring in a forward by 11pm on Thursday when the window shuts.
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