When we talk about Leeds and Manchester United, it is often through gritted teeth. While the Red Devils pounced on the commercial boom in the late 1980s and early 1990s, creating a trophy-laden dynasty, Leeds over-speculated and faced two decades in the second, sometimes third, division for their overly excessive ambition. However, even the most devout fans of either club will admit to a grudging respect for one another – traditional clubs in major cities in England who have, for many years, been flagship entities in the English game.

As a club that has developed a reputation for out of the box thinking, Leeds United have developed an excellent operation. Especially since Victor Orta arrived, the club has been very creative with how it scouts, finds, and signs players. While the French market is seen as an ideal hunting ground, with the likes of Romain Perraud likely to arrive from Ligue 1, other leagues are closely watched by a value-obsessed Leeds scouting team.

One of the biggest challenges for Leeds United is retaining a squad that is thin enough to suit Marcelo Bielsa’s desire, but also fit enough to handle the incredible inteisity desired. The biggest challenge for the Leeds directorship, then, is finding players who are affordable, available, and ambitious enough to join the Leeds project. One name that appears to tick all of those boxes, then, is currently at West Bromwich Albion on loan from Arsenal.

To say it has been an intriguing week in European football would be to do the madness that has taken place a real disservice. The rise and fall of the European Super League took less than half a week. Already, the main players are pointing fingers, absolving themselves of blame, and looking to put the blame on others – including UEFA. Interestingly, though, even Leeds United were drawn into the debate as the ‘dirty dozen’ tried to row back from a PR disaster.

Recently, a report showing the Premier League spending when it came to agents was released. As many might expect, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, some agents have seen increased spending on their services and thus their fees. As such, there was much talk around how much Leeds United must have spent in the summer. After all, they captured some pretty illustrious names – surely some big payments were needed to make those signings possible?