Good Morning. It's Friday 3rd September, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Bielsa blocked move for Noa Lang
Phil Hay has revealed that Marcelo Bielsa scuppered the Noa Lang deal earlier this Summer due to concerns he had about the Dutchman's defensive responsibilities; much to the dismay of Leeds Director of Football Victor Orta. Speculation was rife throughout the Summer that the 22 year old was headed for Elland Road in a £25 million swoop, but as time drew on, and fans became increasingly impatient, the transaction never materialised! According to Hay...
Several of Bielsa’s expensive deals at Elland Road have involved wingers: £25 million on James, £17 million on Raphinha, £15 million on Helder Costa, £11 million on Jack Harrison. In their own way, their jobs are as strictly defined as those of his full-backs, constantly required to dovetail with the team-mate playing behind them on that flank, react rapidly to transitional opportunities, attack space in front of them and track back diligently.
Concerns about defensive capabilities were understood to be behind Bielsa’s decision not to pursue Club Bruges’s Noa Lang last month. James (finally) arrives at Leeds knowing he will be asked to graft at both ends of the field".
Phillips delights fans with impressive performance
Kalvin Philips once again proved his critics wrong with Sterling performance, including man of the match from BBC Sport as the three Lions trounced Hungary 4-0 in Budapest! Along with his England player of the year award he received earlier in the week, the 25 year old continues to impress at the highest level.
Kalvin Phillips vs. Hungary:
85% pass acc.
72 touches 53/62 successful
Passes 41 opp.
Half touches 32 opp.
Half passes 6
Ball recoveries 5
Duels won 4/4
Tackles won 1/1 successful take-on
1 interception
1 clean sheet
That should add another £10 million to his price tag! Interestingly, in an article that was printed earlier in the week, the Leeds squad was valued at £225 million, making the Whites the 12th most expensive squad in the Premiership. Perhaps I'm over valuing Philips and Raphinha as their dual worth isn't that far away from the total amount!
What is our true worth
Below is a list of registered players. What values would you put on their heads? Will their total worth be higher or lower than the reported £225 m.
1 – Illan Meslier
2- Luke Ayling
3 – Junior Firpo
4 – Adam Forshaw
5 – Robin Koch
6 – Liam Cooper
9 – Patrick Bamford
10 – Raphinha
11 – Tyler Roberts
13 – Kristoffer Klaesson
14 – Diego Llorente
15 – Stuart Dallas
19 – Rodrigo
20 – Dan James
21 – Pascal Struijk
22 – Jack Harrison
23 – Kalvin Phillips
30 - Joe Gelhardt
35 - Charlie Cresswell
37 - Cody Drameh
38 - Crysencio Summerville
42 - Sam Greenwood
43 - Matt Klich
45 - Liam McCarron
46 - Jamie Shackleton
How Orta first identified James three years ago
Victor Orta has shared with 'Leeds Live' the gruelling process he went through in identifying Leeds new boy Daniel James as a top target three years ago. At the time, he was only 20, and had just broken through into the senior ranks at the Liberty Stadium playing only a handful of games. Even then, he excited the Leeds Director of Football, and Bielsa agreed. Orta told Sky Sports...
We detected first from the human eye, about the UK recruitment about Daniel James, that he would fit with our style - and Marcelo Bielsa totally agreed." "It's true that, at that moment, he had only played 14 games in the Championship and we were trying to find more accuracy. I asked for a report from a company in football analytics and in this moment Daniel James had zero goals and one or two assists."
They made a big report about expected goals and expected assists and they predicted he would finish the season with six or seven goals and eight assists, and it was a step that (meant) I felt more comfortable making that decision.
First was the scout - the eye - thinking this player can fit for us. But this report gave me more accuracy to propose to the board that this player can be a fit for January. Then in the end what happened was (the deal) not finished and Daniel James didn't play for Leeds United. But I always have this report as an example of a good use of data.
I honestly love the way Southgate sets them up with Kalvin & Rice protecting the back 4, Kalvin getting forward a little more than Rice. It just allows the FB to get forward and join in the fun down the flanks with Kalvin & Rice always ready to drop in when needed. It would work a treat for us that imo. Hungary were unbeaten at home in so many games but we made them look second rate. 
