Good Morning. It's Friday 22nd November, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Pre match press conference - Will Izzy come back to haunt the Whites
During Marcelo Bielsa's pre match press conference, the Argentine was asked about Izzy Browns fine form for the Hatters;
I’m happy about that. He was with us and he had very good behaviour here. He’s showing a level he didn’t show with us. I consider this a mistake of mine. At Luton he is able to compete to play matches. We couldn’t give him this.
If we’d had him for another year, maybe we could have got another version of him. At Luton he arrived healthy and recovered. We needed six months where he couldn’t work properly. But don’t take credit away from him or the people who are with him now.
If I am honest, Brown was not given a single opportunity to show what he could do! Obviously the gaffer saw him train on a daily basis, but that is very different to a match scenario, and with the slender margins between winning and losing I can't help but think that a few moments of magic could have made the difference for the Whites last season!
Thoughts?
Higginbotham - Phillips is superior to Rice and Winks
Soccer pundit Danny Higginbotham has urged Gareth Southgate to select Kalvin Phillips as his holding midfielder and reckons the Leeds star is superior to current options Declan Rice and Harry Winks.
Gareth Southgate has switched between Declan Rice and Harry Winks in this holding position — but for me it is still up for grabs ahead of next summer. Looking outside the current squad, there are not exactly many English defensive midfielders excelling in the Premier League. But in Leeds’ Kalvin Phillips I see someone who could force his way into Southgate’s reckoning..
The 23-year-old has been outstanding for Marcelo Bielsa’s side and has a number of really good attributes. I like his positional sense, he’s a very good tackler, and his distribution both long and short is fantastic.
Yes, Phillips has never played in the Premier League. But I don’t have an issue with that at all — there were plenty of clubs in for him over the summer and he would undoubtedly be playing in the top tier now if Leeds hadn’t done everything to keep hold of him. And in calling up Mason Mount last October when he was on loan at Derby from Chelsea, Southgate has shown he is not afraid to select a Championship player.
The Three Lions don’t play again until March — if Phillips continues in this current vein of form then I see no reason why he shouldn’t be involved. I’m not saying he should be brought in as first choice. But in a position which is yet to be locked down, Phillips is well worth having a look at.
Dilemma
Assume you are the Leeds Utd Manager, and its January 1st. An offer comes in for Kelvin Phillips of 50m!!!!! It's your decision. What would you do?
To give you some assistance, hre is a list of Leeds most expensive signings, and departures, including what the players would be worth today!
Top-10 most expensive sales...
Alan Smith (04/05) to Manchester United for £8.1m - £29.1m today
David Rocastle (93/94) to Manchester City for £2.2m - £33.4m today
Robbie Fowler (02/03) to Manchester City for £8.8m - £33.8m today
Robbie Keane (02/03) to Tottenham Hotspur for £9.5m - £36.2m today
Harry Kewell (03/04) to Liverpool for £9m - £37.8m today
Gary Speed (95/96) to Everton for £4.4m - £41.6m today
Jonathan Woodgate (02/03) to Newcastle United for £12.2m - £46.6m today
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (99/00) to Atletico Madrid for £15m - £51.8m today
David Batty (93/94) to Blackburn Rovers for £3.4m - £52.6m today
Rio Ferdinand (02/03) to Manchester United for £41.4m - £158.7m today
Top-10 most expensive purchases...
Lee Bowyer (96/97) from Charlton Athletic for £3.4m - £25m today
David Hopkin (97/98) from Crystal Palace for £4.4m - £25m today
Tony Yeboah (95/96) from Eintracht Frankfurt for £2.9m - £27.8m today
David Rocastle (92/93) from Arsenal for £2.2m - £30.4m today
Robbie Fowler (01/02) from Liverpool for £15.1m - £34.2m today
Robbie Keane (01/02) from Internazionale for £16.2m - £36.6m today
Carlton Palmer (94/95) from Sheffield Wednesday for £2.8m - £40.4m today
Lee Sharpe (96/97) from Manchester United for £6.1m - £44.4m today
Rio Ferdinand (00/01) from West Ham United for £23.4m - £59.7m today
Brian Deane (93/94) from Sheffield United for £3.9m - £60.7m today