Dan James

[HarryofOz]

Very good news. Good footballer. Welcome to Leeds.

[liggy]

He's bang average when I've seen him in games for man u.
I suppose the 25M will go straight to Ronaldo.

[1964white]

He's bang average when I've seen him in games for man u.
I suppose the 25M will go straight to Ronaldo.

Watch Dan go now under a proper coach liggy

[Leeds1000]

He's bang average when I've seen him in games for man u.
I suppose the 25M will go straight to Ronaldo.

I am dissapointed too lig.

Think of what we could do with £25m.

Mansion, 4 cars, birds everynight (no not pigeons) altho you could have a few flyers there. Are own private jet (what about climate change? if its good enough for the former prince known as Harry)

Football should be ashamed of itself when i could spend the money and actually have a good time and make a difference!

[liggy]

I am dissapointed too lig.

Think of what we could do with £25m.

Mansion, 4 cars, birds everynight (no not pigeons) altho you could have a few flyers there. Are own private jet (what about climate change? if its good enough for the former prince known as Harry)

Football should be ashamed of itself when i could spend the money and actually have a good time and make a difference!

Anyhoo's the first 3M would be spent on Armando & new kim .... I would also buy bolt & Peter powell

I would then proceed to buy the loft on top of the cobalt factory

[Bally]

How about we judge Dan James half way through the season to judge whether he's a good signing or not

[Carrick Dave]

How about we judge Dan James half way through the season to judge whether he's a good signing or not

Bally, few would argue that DJ is an improvement on Costa, and moving Poveda out offers Summerville a straight run at the first team.

My issue is that if, two days ago, someone had asked me “guess who we’ve just signed for £30 million” I wouldn’t have expected the answer to be “Dan James”.

He’ll be great hopefully, but I can’t help feeling we paid over the odds.

But now he’s Leeds, he’ll get my full support and I hope he tears it up, starting with Liverpool.

[Cjay]

So the dust has settled.

Transfer window is closed.

And LUFC have a new £25mil man.

Welsh international and Yorkshire boy Dan James, as KP tweeted, better late than never

All doubts about price tag aside it's nice to have another option and it shouldn't be ignored that at the start of his first season in a struggling (by traditional standards) Manure side Dan James managed 6 assists in 3 goals in his first 20 matches.

He (and they) had a difficult next 9 games losing 3 and after that he was scapegoated by a section of the fan base and dropped by Ole at the wheel for the rest of the season with only cameos.

He then struggled with injuries last season and competition for places and that was that.

Despite that Ole at the wheel is said to be a fan (but clearly has no control over anything there and just accepts every new toy with open arms)

A really bright start in the Prem though gives hope and reason for optimism.

But an issue has arisen, where will he play?

We aren't Manure, Man City, Chelsea, we can't just stockpile players until we get bored, Dan James is here to start.

We don't track a player for 3 years, Bielsa doesn't obsess over a player for that amount of time with the intention of sticking him on the bench, he has a role in mind.

And what's more, in my view it isn't as a winger.

I wish to take everyone back to 2018, the LUFC team was in its infancy under a new maverick boss and all was well.

We had our Macedonian Messi, we had King Pablo, we also had a diminutive Spanish midfielder, the small midfielder was exciting, frustrating and temperamental.

He would pick the ball up half way inside our half, a quick turn and leave 2 or 3 defenders in his wake, what happened after that was erratic at best but having a player who could dribble at pace through the centre of the pitch is is very rare and occasionally underrated weapon.

It creates space, it opens up the pitch, it makes overloads (which is a large part of our style) much easier.

Samu Saiz wasn't the most consistent player but as Bielsa said "I think Saiz is the most skilled player in our team and he has skills that few players have,”.

Now whether he was the most skilled player we had at the time is up for debate (Pablo Hernandez says hey) but the "he has skills that few players have" bit for me was a recognition of Saiz's pace and dribbling ability through the centre of the pitch.

MB loves players who can "unbalance the opposition", Saiz could do that.

How does this relate to pacey winger Dan James? Well we know how MB is for squad numbers, no unnecessary signings.

That winter we lost Saiz near the end of December 2018, that January transfer window we only signed 1 player, Kiko Casilla to replace outgoing Chelsea goalkeeper loanee Jamal Blackman.

We lost 2 central midfielders, both of whom were part of MB's small squad, Lewis Baker and Samu Saiz, and yet we only tried to sign Dan James, a pacey, relatively diminutive winger.

Sounds odd doesn't it?

Except Bielsa thinks a bit differently.

He sees a bit more than most of us, he analysed James for ages we are told and will have analysed his strengths and weaknesses.

And what is Dan James biggest strengths?

Well he is frighteningly fast (Marcus Rashford who is fast himself named James as the fastest player in the Manure squad few months ago and according to reports he has been clocked doing nearly 37kph in training.)

He is also a decent dribbler, not wonderfully skillful and that is an area he could do with working on (mixing it up when he dribbes) but the benetfit of being as fast as James is you don't Necessarily have to, all you need is a gap to open up and you can do this.

So maybe the boss saw something in James that wasn't taken into consideration by many at the time back in January 2019.

Maybe he didn't see a pacey winger, he saw a player with the skills to "unbalance" the opposition.
?

He saw a player with "skills that few players have"?

For years many of us have been rueful that the club have never really replaced Saiz, never really replaced that pacey option down the centre who could help create space for our wide players and strikers by simply running with the ball down the middle.

Dan James signing has lead to speculation that Bielsa will move our Brazillian number 10 into well, more of a number 10 role in the middle of the pitch.

But I disagree, I think that Bielsa decided what James was, or rather what Bielsa wanted him to be over 2 years ago.

He looked at his most successful creative sparks, players like Iker Munain and Dimitri Payet and he saw in them what he sees in Dan James.

A frustrated winger whose true role is further infield, he saw his Saiz replacement.

He saw his enganche.

So where does Bielsa see Dan James fitting into his side?

[danhirons]

Winger for sure imo

[Irish Ian]

I think playing him in the centre is something worth thinking about. It is a good thought. Id hate to lose Raph from the wing.

It would leave the other two out wide in their usual roles, as well as allowing him to play as a winger when needed.

A couple of things though, does James have the passing range to play there? And a part of James strength is his defensive capabilities. As far as I understand it the enganche is allowed to basically go any where he likes to find little pockets of space to work in, exempted from defensive duties. Would that work in our man to man system?

Another thought I had was if Harrison could be moved inside. That incident in the Everton game when he had 4 players round him and he just went past them was a lightbulb moment. He isnt quick but he is strong, and does have the passing range for an advanced playmaker.

It will be intruiging to see how how James, Raph and Harrison line up.

[Azkal]

An excellent synopsis Cjay, certainly warrants consideration whether Marcelo sees James as his 'enganche'. It does seem to make sense for James to fit in to this role, and is perhaps the least disruptive of the alternative scenarios.

[rab_rant]

Dan James is the bullet for the gun.

[weasel]

In Harrison, James and Raphinha we have 3 players who can play on the wing or in the no.10. I see James starting centrally but with the 3 of them seamlessly interchanging throughout the match, Bielsaball at its finest. A lot of James's goals actually come from him receiving the ball centrally on or around the edge of the penalty area.

[White Riot]

So the dust has settled.

Transfer window is closed.

And LUFC have a new £25mil man.

Welsh international and Yorkshire boy Dan James, as KP tweeted, better late than never

All doubts about price tag aside it's nice to have another option and it shouldn't be ignored that at the start of his first season in a struggling (by traditional standards) Manure side Dan James managed 6 assists in 3 goals in his first 20 matches.

He (and they) had a difficult next 9 games losing 3 and after that he was scapegoated by a section of the fan base and dropped by Ole at the wheel for the rest of the season with only cameos.

He then struggled with injuries last season and competition for places and that was that.

Despite that Ole at the wheel is said to be a fan (but clearly has no control over anything there and just accepts every new toy with open arms)

A really bright start in the Prem though gives hope and reason for optimism.

But an issue has arisen, where will he play?

We aren't Manure, Man City, Chelsea, we can't just stockpile players until we get bored, Dan James is here to start.

We don't track a player for 3 years, Bielsa doesn't obsess over a player for that amount of time with the intention of sticking him on the bench, he has a role in mind.

And what's more, in my view it isn't as a winger.

I wish to take everyone back to 2018, the LUFC team was in its infancy under a new maverick boss and all was well.

We had our Macedonian Messi, we had King Pablo, we also had a diminutive Spanish midfielder, the small midfielder was exciting, frustrating and temperamental.

He would pick the ball up half way inside our half, a quick turn and leave 2 or 3 defenders in his wake, what happened after that was erratic at best but having a player who could dribble at pace through the centre of the pitch is is very rare and occasionally underrated weapon.

It creates space, it opens up the pitch, it makes overloads (which is a large part of our style) much easier.

Samu Saiz wasn't the most consistent player but as Bielsa said "I think Saiz is the most skilled player in our team and he has skills that few players have,”.

Now whether he was the most skilled player we had at the time is up for debate (Pablo Hernandez says hey) but the "he has skills that few players have" bit for me was a recognition of Saiz's pace and dribbling ability through the centre of the pitch.

MB loves players who can "unbalance the opposition", Saiz could do that.

How does this relate to pacey winger Dan James? Well we know how MB is for squad numbers, no unnecessary signings.

That winter we lost Saiz near the end of December 2018, that January transfer window we only signed 1 player, Kiko Casilla to replace outgoing Chelsea goalkeeper loanee Jamal Blackman.

We lost 2 central midfielders, both of whom were part of MB's small squad, Lewis Baker and Samu Saiz, and yet we only tried to sign Dan James, a pacey, relatively diminutive winger.

Sounds odd doesn't it?

Except Bielsa thinks a bit differently.

He sees a bit more than most of us, he analysed James for ages we are told and will have analysed his strengths and weaknesses.

And what is Dan James biggest strengths?

Well he is frighteningly fast (Marcus Rashford who is fast himself named James as the fastest player in the Manure squad few months ago and according to reports he has been clocked doing nearly 37kph in training.)

He is also a decent dribbler, not wonderfully skillful and that is an area he could do with working on (mixing it up when he dribbes) but the benetfit of being as fast as James is you don't Necessarily have to, all you need is a gap to open up and you can do this.

So maybe the boss saw something in James that wasn't taken into consideration by many at the time back in January 2019.

Maybe he didn't see a pacey winger, he saw a player with the skills to "unbalance" the opposition.
?

He saw a player with "skills that few players have"?

For years many of us have been rueful that the club have never really replaced Saiz, never really replaced that pacey option down the centre who could help create space for our wide players and strikers by simply running with the ball down the middle.

Dan James signing has lead to speculation that Bielsa will move our Brazillian number 10 into well, more of a number 10 role in the middle of the pitch.

But I disagree, I think that Bielsa decided what James was, or rather what Bielsa wanted him to be over 2 years ago.

He looked at his most successful creative sparks, players like Iker Munain and Dimitri Payet and he saw in them what he sees in Dan James.

A frustrated winger whose true role is further infield, he saw his Saiz replacement.

He saw his enganche.

So where does Bielsa see Dan James fitting into his side?

Great analysis Cjay

I'm in full agreement that Dan James has been bought to be moulded as our playmaker. Watching some of his clips on YouTube I think he has a great range of passing, is devastatingly fast, and is able to see and pick a pass.

I also think that Bielsa will look to train Raphinha and Harrison to use in that role too, so that the three are interchangeable.

For me, this is the end of the Tyler Roberts experiment. It will also mean that other than as a striker when Bamford is unavailable Rodrigo is going to struggle for match minutes.

But for me this is a natural positive progression. Competition for places means the cream rises, and those that don't succeed are reduced to the bench and eventually out the door.

Remember how amazed we were when Bielsa said he would use KP at DCM, and how right that foresight was.

I believe MB has similar plans for James, Raphinha and Harrison. It also throws a real curve ball at opponents.

All good stuff, and great to see that MB has found a solution to our major conundrum.

[YorkshireSquare]

Criticism of him has been his lack of final ball and descision making, surely things you need to excel at to be a great No.10?

I see him very much as a winger, at least for now. Maybe Bielsa has other ideas long term.

[1964white]

Criticism of him has been his lack of final ball and descision making, surely things you need to excel at to be a great No.10?

I see him very much as a winger, at least for now. Maybe Bielsa has other ideas long term.

Still think Raphinha will be allowed to roam around our midfield just as Pablo did so well for us.

[Muppet the Cat]

Still think Raphinha will be allowed to roam around our midfield just as Pablo did so well for us.

My thoughts as well 64, with James playing outside on the wing.

[Leeds1000]

Another winger for me, but which side and what happens to Harrison? I wouldn't mind giving either Raph, Harrison or James a go at 10 not sure they can be much worse than Rodrigo. I would like to see Dallas back in at 8 i think he offers more defensive cover for Phillips. So why not try Harrison at FB when Firpo is out? Decisions decisions, it was all going a little stale the signing of James just ignites the fire a little to see what's in store.

[Cjay]

I think playing him in the centre is something worth thinking about. It is a good thought. Id hate to lose Raph from the wing.

It would leave the other two out wide in their usual roles, as well as allowing him to play as a winger when needed.

A couple of things though, does James have the passing range to play there? And a part of James strength is his defensive capabilities. As far as I understand it the enganche is allowed to basically go any where he likes to find little pockets of space to work in, exempted from defensive duties. Would that work in our man to man system?

Another thought I had was if Harrison could be moved inside. That incident in the Everton game when he had 4 players round him and he just went past them was a lightbulb moment. He isnt quick but he is strong, and does have the passing range for an advanced playmaker.

It will be intruiging to see how how James, Raph and Harrison line up.

Good points, i think that the enganche role has evolved somewhat in the same way football has and the times of traditional enganche's are over to a degree. Bielsa has always had these creative types in the middle of the pitch, Ortega, Aimar, Payet etc but they were still expected to perform their defensive duties in the same way Pablo did for us for example when he moved centrally.

In the way Rodrigo doesnt and cant seemingly, but at the same time they had that licence out of possession to roam and find space and create.

Does James have the passing range and vision? Hard to say but he was by the end of the group stages at Euro 2020 the most creative player at the euros, top for chances created so must have some form of vision and creativity?

[Cjay]

An excellent synopsis Cjay, certainly warrants consideration whether Marcelo sees James as his 'enganche'. It does seem to make sense for James to fit in to this role, and is perhaps the least disruptive of the alternative scenarios.

Thanks, thats my view Azkal really, and as you say it seems the least disruptive.

Move Raph who we know can play right side in our system to accommodate someone who may not be able to do so as effectively thus making 2 roles potentially weaker? Seems unnecessary.

Or play James centrally in a role we are struggling with anyway and hope he can make it work?