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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
The jury is well and truly out on Leeds ahead of the upcoming season.
Fans have already voiced their concerns, particularly with the defence and ahead of a campaign which should have been full of excitement after Marcelo Bielsa signed a new deal, there is a degree of negativity surrounding Elland Road.
For the Whites, they will likely be one of the frontrunners again for promotion but in many senses, that is already under threat, especially if you consider their summer activity.
It’s not been an easy ride for the Championship club who have seen Pontus Jansson leave whilst there have also been murmurs that the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Kemar Roofe could also depart.
An injury to the latter may put that in doubt but proceedings just seem to have been going from bad to worse.
It’s been a strange summer, one in which Bielsa met up in Australia for their tour late after naming just 16 players in his squad, breaking the team into two.
But, if the Argentine isn’t careful, all of this negativity could carry into the new season.
The biggest problem, however, has been in terms of the lack of incomings, something that the manager and top officials at the club are proving to be extremely short-sighted in.
The fact of the matter is that Bielsa is misplacing his trust this summer and it could cause Leeds problems once the campaign gets underway in just under a week.
The former Marseille boss is reportedly a huge fan of Ben White but it’s important to factor in that he’s never played at this level before.
It’s wrong, therefore, to think that he can act as a replacement for Jansson and the fact they only have him and Gaetano Berardi to partner Liam Cooper is a huge concern.
But it’s also in attack where faith has been misplaced.
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In simple terms, Bielsa is wrong to assume Leeds can get through the season with what they have.
More targets should have been pursued this summer and that’s evident now that Roofe has been injured.
His ankle issue has left Patrick Bamford as the main striker, a player who missed 20 matches himself last season.
It’s admirable that the 64-year-old has so much faith in the crop of players that took him to the play-offs last term but it could also get him into serious bother.
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