Leeds United Transfer Latest: Whites sign Longstaff amidst striker talk

National World - LocalTV

Daniel Wales and Lee Sobot look at the latest Leeds United transfer news.

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00:00Since their promotion from the Championship to the Premier League,

00:03Leeds United have been very active in this summer's transfer window,

00:07bringing in a whole host of new players into Elland Road to help them compete in terms of quality

00:13with what they will face in the Premier League in the next season to come.

00:18Of course, Leeds United's squad last season was certainly very good for the Championship standard.

00:23They achieved 100 points as they won the division,

00:26with Burnley also being promoted automatically and Sunderland going up via the playoffs.

00:30But Leeds certainly know that they needed to add to their depth and quality

00:34if they were to stand any chance of competing and indeed surviving in the Premier League to come.

00:39In fact, all of the teams in the last two seasons who have come up from the Championship

00:44have been relegated straight away and not really scratched the surface in terms of surviving.

00:49So Leeds knew that they had to make sure they were bringing in quality additions to the squad.

00:55and they've certainly been very active so far.

00:57They've brought in defenders, strikers and fielders now with Sean Longstaff joining the club.

01:03So what is next in terms of their activity in the transfer market?

01:08Well, let's go now to Lee Sobert of the Yorkshire Evening Post.

01:12Lee, what can you tell us in terms of what Leeds will do next during this summer?

01:16Obviously, now having secured the services of Newcastle United's midfielder Sean Longstaff,

01:21if Leeds perhaps will they look for a striker or will they look for more midfielders?

01:25I think they've brought in a lot of defenders already this summer,

01:28but they perhaps have only brought in one striker so far.

01:30So maybe that's something that's also needed to make sure that Leeds are scoring enough goals.

01:35Well, I think midfield is the area next that looks like happening.

01:39Obviously, Longstaff, as you mentioned, is on the verge of getting done as we speak.

01:43I think he'll be a very, very good signing.

01:45Obviously, it's a club and a player you know very, very well,

01:47and you'll probably hit the nail on the head there with him in terms of what he'll bring to Leeds,

01:49an experienced player, Premier League experience, who just basically should be a very, very solid signing.

01:55But Anton Statsch at Hoffenheim is another midfielder they're looking at as well,

01:58and that's been well documented.

01:59There's been talk about that for a while now.

02:01Sounds like that's progressing pretty well.

02:03I think the key there now is just to sort of strike a deal with Hoffenheim, how much that might be.

02:07And then obviously the other one that's, you know, just breaking sort of like as of the last couple of days

02:11is Igor Paixão, the Feyenoord, Brazilian international winger.

02:15So, I mean, that's very early days.

02:17He's a very talented player, 25-year-old winger, one cap for Brazil, lots of assists and goals for Feyenoord.

02:23But Leeds are in no way going to be the only club interested in him.

02:27Talk of Marseille.

02:29So there's a lot to be done, you know, for that deal to be done.

02:32But it is obviously somebody that Leeds are talking to.

02:33But as Graham Smith, our chief reporter, said, you know, like Leeds have been here before

02:37in terms of like speaking to players and presenting the project, if you like,

02:40in terms of Cody Gakpo as one who obviously, you know, got away before.

02:44So it's by that, you know, a long way off, really.

02:46But, you know, hopefully it's somebody that they can get in.

02:49That would certainly get people excited.

02:50And then obviously, you know, if I think long staff and stats,

02:53I suspect they'll probably get done.

02:54Paixão, we'll wait and see.

02:55But I think other than that, you know, the two ones that really stand out,

02:59a goalkeeper, obviously.

03:01There's all sorts of names linked to Leeds.

03:03It's obviously earlier on in the window.

03:04It's quieting down a little bit more on that front now.

03:06But that's obviously a key position.

03:08I mean, it's a key position for any team.

03:09But, you know, at the moment, it's just, you know,

03:11you wouldn't even know who's going to be first choice keeper at the moment.

03:14Obviously, Carl Darlow came in towards the end of last season

03:16and did very, very well.

03:16It has to be said.

03:18So I suppose he is first choice on that basis.

03:20But then you wouldn't bet against Meliard being given another chance,

03:23you know, if that's the way it went.

03:25So I think, you know, a goalkeeper is a key one.

03:28And then Stryker will probably, you know,

03:30I can imagine that might well end up being the last one they do, maybe.

03:34You know, sort of like Stryker is the big signing, isn't it?

03:36Maybe wait till as late as possible to sort of like, you know,

03:38get the very right person in.

03:40You know, talk of various players already in terms of, you know,

03:44who they've been looking at.

03:45But until anything's sort of like, you know, really, really moving on that front,

03:48that one is the one that's sort of like you're really, really waiting for.

03:51Because I think on the Stryker front,

03:53I think the Metro will probably be a pretty good signing, to be honest,

03:56especially when, you know, he's German international,

03:58has got a fair few caps for them, decent age.

04:00And at the end of the day, they've got him on a free as well.

04:02So it's not like, you know, it's a pretty low risk signing.

04:04And he did very, very well when he was in Anderlecht,

04:08I think it was, when he, you know, scored goals for fun there.

04:11So if he can return to something like that,

04:13I think he'll be a decent signing.

04:14But I think the thing with both him and Joel Peru and Patrick Bamford

04:17is they're all sort of, we know what they've done.

04:20I mean, we know what Bamford's done in the Premier League,

04:22but to a degree that's sort of like,

04:23it's kind of like, you don't really know what you're going to get.

04:25That's the thing, you know, like it's the same with Nemecha.

04:27Like, you don't know, you can't sort of say 100%

04:29that he'll hit the ground running and get loads of goals.

04:32Peru, obviously, golden boot winner in the championship

04:34has not played one minute of Premier League football.

04:36So, you know, that's an obvious question.

04:38That's not to say that he might not, you might not,

04:40you know, he won't thrive.

04:41He could have hit the ground running

04:42and have an absolutely outstanding season.

04:43You know, let's hope he does.

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