The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Friday 14th January) - Can Leeds afford to wait to strengthen?

[lufc1304]

Given several on the injury list are reportedly due back in early Feb, I personally think it makes more sense to look at bringing a couple of loans in. We have never replaced Saiz and now with Pablo gone, we really are struggling for creativity through the middle. Faaip suggests Joffy might be the answer, and I don't disagree, but not right now (he's hurt anyway!). So, for me, we could really do with an AMF and some cover for Meslier. The young Norwegian lad is having a mare with the U23s, not all his fault, of course, but I wouldn't want to be relying on him if Spiderboy gets hurt.

[CHAPELALLMAN]

Given several on the injury list are reportedly due back in early Feb, I personally think it makes more sense to look at bringing a couple of loans in. We have never replaced Saiz and now with Pablo gone, we really are struggling for creativity through the middle. Faaip suggests Joffy might be the answer, and I don't disagree, but not right now (he's hurt anyway!). So, for me, we could really do with an AMF and some cover for Meslier. The young Norwegian lad is having a mare with the U23s, not all his fault, of course, but I wouldn't want to be relying on him if Spiderboy gets hurt.

So that proves to me that the Rodrigo experiment has been a failure - we needed a 10 not a false 9.

[lufc1304]

So that proves to me that the Rodrigo experiment has been a failure - we needed a 10 not a false 9.

Rodrigo had a fine run at the end of last season, looked a natural finisher, but his time with us has been stop-start so I think it's harsh to class him a failure. He hasn't set the world alight, that's fair, but I wouldn't be writing him off just yet. And yes, we most ceratinly do need a 10, I don't think anyone disagrees with that.

[Byebyegeegee]

As far as I’ve seen so far there is no way that Rodrigo can be considered remotely to have been a success given his transfer fee and wages. As a former Spanish International player I live in hope that he may prove me wrong eventually but I have seen no signs of that happening yet and he isn’t getting any younger.

Whilst injuries and Covid have probably played a part in his lacklustre performance so far, all I see is a player who is not a natural striker, not a particularly effective attacking midfielder, is comparatively slow (sometimes it looks as though he’s running through treacle) and as supposedly first line of defence, can’t tackle for toffee.

If it is true that he is getting £100000/week then he needs to start earning it!

[1964white]

Well that's another issue with Victor Orta - he has an uncanny eye for signing players who then go on to have major injury issues ;

- JKA was not fit obviously.
- Roberts was on the sidelines injured for a long time, though I grant you that his transfer fee was modest.
- Forshaw - no further comment required.
- Llorente - was known to be injury prone before we signed him and he hasn't disappointed in this respect.
- Koch - has barely played for us due to injury issues.
- Rodrigo - out for a long time with this heel issue. Suffered from Covid last season.

That's makes horrible reading must have missed 100's of games between them.

[BGwhite]

As far as I’ve seen so far there is no way that Rodrigo can be considered remotely to have been a success given his transfer fee and wages. As a former Spanish International player I live in hope that he may prove me wrong eventually but I have seen no signs of that happening yet and he isn’t getting any younger.

Whilst injuries and Covid have probably played a part in his lacklustre performance so far, all I see is a player who is not a natural striker, not a particularly effective attacking midfielder, is comparatively slow (sometimes it looks as though he’s running through treacle) and as supposedly first line of defence, can’t tackle for toffee.

If it is true that he is getting £100000/week then he needs to start earning it!

Disagree bbgg, he needs to be sold for what use he is and spend the money and his inflated wages on someone decent. Our most expensive signing should be making a bigger impact and after 1.5 years I can't see it happening.

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[CHAPELALLMAN]

Disagree bbgg, he needs to be sold for what use he is and spend the money and his inflated wages on someone decent. Our most expensive signing should be making a bigger impact and after 1.5 years I can't see it happening.

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I don't think we would get more than 10 to 12 million for him now. Like James, we paid well over the odds.

Clubs see us coming...

[CHAPELALLMAN]

That's makes horrible reading must have missed 100's of games between them.

Indeed 64.

[The Subhuman]

Rodrigo had a fine run at the end of last season, looked a natural finisher, but his time with us has been stop-start so I think it's harsh to class him a failure. He hasn't set the world alight, that's fair, but I wouldn't be writing him off just yet. And yes, we most ceratinly do need a 10, I don't think anyone disagrees with that.

Be an idiot to call him a failure tbh, and 10's, true 10's, are harder to come by than strikers .. A good false 9 can work and I think Rodrigo is a good false 9.

[Byebyegeegee]

Disagree bbgg, he needs to be sold for what use he is and spend the money and his inflated wages on someone decent. Our most expensive signing should be making a bigger impact and after 1.5 years I can't see it happening.

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Don’t get me wrong BG I would definitely sell him we could but as Chapel has said we would lose a fortune on the deal and, in any case, I can’t see anyone coming in for him with any thing like decent money and then having to pay him £100000/week. So, unfortunately I think, at this point, we are stuck with him.