LeedsAllOver

Leeds United take on Spurs this weekend, needing a return to form against one of the in-form Premier League sides at Elland Road.

Five games without victory is a pretty rough stretch for Leeds under Daniel Farke. Back at Elland Road this week, the task of ending that run is a difficult one against in-form Spurs.

Roberto De Zerbi’s men have turned a corner after a poor start to their campaign, winning their last three in the Premier League.

“I’ll take seven” – Jason Cundy and Jamie O’Hara discuss Spurs form and Leeds United prediction

Off the back of the weekend’s results that saw Spurs move up to ninth in the Premier League, talkSPORT’s outspoken Jamie O’Hara is feeling bullish.

On 12 points, they’ve moved a point above United as they prepare for their trip to West Yorkshire on Saturday afternoon.

O’Hara, when asked by partner-in-crime Jason Cundy about Spurs’ next three, expects two wins and a draw.

“If Spurs are back, you should pick up nine points from the next three games,” Cundy began.

“I’ll take seven,” O’Hara replied.

To which Cundy responded: “Who are you dropping points to?”

“Leeds, we’ll draw with them,” O’Hara responded. “We’ll beat them [Sunderland away].”

“You have got some front, you don’t learn, do you?” Cundy finished. “You hear the same old guff coming out your mouth. It’s the biggest corner in world football, you’ve been turning this corner for three-and-a-half years, Jay.”

Leeds United have work cut out to beat Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs

O’Hara is justified in his confidence ahead of this weekend. Spurs are one of the better sides in the league at the moment, and are playing with renewed confidence.

You did wonder how long it would take for De Zerbi to get this side playing, and it looks as though it’s clicked into gear.

The challenge for Leeds is making things happen with very limited possession. Spurs are second behind Man City for possession this season, while we’re 11th, below average.

If we let Spurs have a lot of the ball in good areas, we could be in trouble.

Many reports over the summer suggested that Leeds United wanted to sign another striker.

Ultimately, this didn’t happen. The only business we conducted regarding strikers was sanctioning the loan exit of Joel Piroe to West Ham. The Hammers have an obligation to buy him for around £12million should they win promotion to the Premier League.

In an interview earlier this week, Leeds United’s managing director Robbie Evans admitted there was no desire to sign another first-choice striker, per The Athletic.

Evans claimed that if we signed another striker, it would be a supporting one only. United don’t want to bring someone in who expects to play every week, just for them to be unhappy if they are left on the bench.

But despite this, the 49ers should be on alert as a market opportunity may have presented itself. A Premier League forward, who has a wealth of experience, could be set to become a free agent in the not-too-distant future.

Richarlison could become available as a free agent

It’s clear that Richarlison, 29, is not part of Roberto De Zerbi’s plans at Tottenham.

This is despite the Brazilian having netted 75 Premier League goals in total during his nine years in England. As well as this, he has 54 caps for his country.

According to reports from Fabrizio Romano over the summer, Richarlison looked to be on the verge of completing a lucrative move to Turkey. This ultimately fell through, as did a potential move to Everton.

Now Richarlison has found himself stuck at Spurs, and he hasn’t even been registered for their Premier League squad.

Reports have recently emerged from The Athletic suggesting that Richarlison is considering legal action against the club to try to cancel his contract.

If the forward does become available as a free agent, it’s something Leeds should consider.

Richarlison would be a very versatile player for Leeds

As well as being able to lead the line by himself or alongside his former Everton teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison could also be deployed on either flank by Daniel Farke.

This versatility and Premier League experience could make him a valuable commodity for us.

It may be a long shot, but there’s no reason why we can’t at least try our luck. The 49ers have proven to be able to secure in-demand free agents before.

Richarlison is the sort of player you despise if he’s against you but adore if he plays for you.

He would certainly be a controversial signing. But if he were to commit to the project at Leeds, it could be a masterstroke from the 49ers.

We’re not in a position where we can turn our nose up at a player who has scored 10 or more Premier League goals in five separate seasons.

As I say, it’s probably unlikely, but it’s definitely something our hierarchy should keep an eye on.

Leeds United could have signed Mykhailo Mudryk on loan from Chelsea in the summer, but missed out as Spurs hijacked the deal.

The ending to the summer transfer window was a great one at Elland Road. When many fans worried it would fizzle out disappointingly, two signings on deadline day plugged major gaps.

Melvin Bard arrived on the left side of the defence, while Jean-Matteo Bahoya bolstered the attack on the left wing. The latter, though, was a reaction to United missing out on Mykhailo Mudryk.

Previous Leeds United target Mykhailo Mudryk already injured on loan at Spurs

Leeds pushed hard to convince Chelsea to sanction Mudryk’s move to Elland Road. The player wanted the move, but Leeds clearly didn’t match the terms set by the Stamford Bridge club.

Instead, he joined a Spurs side that have been hell-bent on paying whatever the selling club demanded in the summer.

However, he’s already been dealt a setback as an image emerged of him sporting a protective boot this week. That news has been relayed by Football.London’s Alasdair Gold, who confirms an injury for the winger.

“Football.london understands that Mudryk has picked up an injury during a Spurs training session. He’s out of action until after the international break, meaning he will miss this weekend’s clash with Everton, as well as the Carabao Cup meeting with Liverpool and the league showdown with Aston Villa.”

He’s ruled out until at least the end of the first international break, which concludes on October 6th. In turn, it rules Mudryk out for a month as Leeds hope for a bright start from Bahoya at Elland Road.

Leeds United dodge a bullet as Mykhailo Mudryk dealt early injury blow at Spurs

It was always going to be a gamble for whoever signed Mudryk.

I’d have liked him at Leeds when we were pursuing him, he would’ve added plenty to our side alongside Noah Okafor on the left. But, there was always the worry that he would struggle for fitness at first and this is proof.

Meanwhile, Bahoya signing could be a brilliant long-term investment for Leeds that Mudryk simply wouldn’t have been.

For Mudryk to have been a success, we’d have needed him firing throughout his loan. Instead, he’s injured at Spurs immediately and playing catchup.

Leeds United are interested in signing Mykhailo Mudryk from Chelsea, but Spurs have now entered the race ahead of deadline day.

Leeds have four points on the board from two Premier League fixtures, but there are gaps in Daniel Farke’s squad that ought to be covered.

Included in that is the need to add in attack, the left wing in particular as Willy Gnonto could join Fiorentina imminently.

Spurs enquire with Chelsea over Leeds United target Mykhailo Mudryk – David Ornstein

If Leeds are to replace Gnonto before tomorrow night’s deadline, Mykhailo Mudryk looks like the only name that we’re aware of interest in.

The issue is that Chelsea are proving difficult negotiators after rejecting our initial approach. Fabrizio Romano reported that United are still keen on signing the winger and want an agreement before the deadline.

Now, David Ornstein reports that Spurs have entered the equation with an enquiry to sign the Ukraine winger on loan.

While Chelsea want assurances of Mudryk playing regularly, Roberto De Zerbi could prove an important factor. The Italian coached Mudryk while the pair were at Shakhtar Donetsk together.

Leeds United running out of time and ideas as Spurs push for Mykhailo Mudryk

It’s getting too close to the deadline for Leeds to be able to respond to this sort of setback. So, missing out on Mudryk would be rough.

There’s of course a degree of risk to signing someone who hasn’t played competitive football for nearky two years. However, he’d add plenty of pace and trickery to our setup.

I’m just worried that the connection Mudryk might have with De Zerbi, plus Spurs’ commitment to huge wages this summer, puts us out of the running.

Time is running out. We need to get a move on.

Leeds United are looking to sign Jonathan Rowe from Norwich City this month, but could face competition from Tottenham now.

After losing Crysencio Summerville to West Ham at the weekend, Leeds are in the market for a winger unsurprisingly, that can replace the Dutchman’s goalscoring and overall star quality.

Who they sign before August 30 remains to be seen but the club are making a more considerable effort this week.

Norwich City’s Jon Rowe subject to £7million Leeds interest

The Telegraph reported on Monday that Leeds are looking to make a move for Norwich City winger Jon Rowe this week, with a £7million offer said to be imminent.

Meanwhile, the Canaries have already sold star man Gabriel Sara to Galatasaray, perhaps strengthening their stance on such an offer, which appears to be some way short.

Rowe scored 12 and assisted two last season in the Championship, with a year left on his contract currently, while his club hold the option of another year.

Does Willy Gnonto stay at Leeds this summer?

Tottenham reportedly monitoring Jon Rowe transfer situation

Having poached Archie Gray from Leeds to the tune of £40million, Tottenham could be set to inflict another transfer blow on Leeds pertaining to Rowe’s future.

That’s according to the Chronicle (7/8, pages 46 & 47), who share that Spurs have been keeping tabs on the Norwich star for a few months now:

“Rowe is attracting interest from Leeds United with a view to replacing Crysencio Summerville and has caught the eye of Tottenham Hotspur in recent months.

“A Three Lions youth international valued in the region of £15-20m, Leeds’ opening offer of £7m suggests Norwich could be talked into lowering their asking price.”

£15-20m not the fee Rowe will end up going for

Norwich, like every club in this division, need money through sales to keep themselves going in the transfer market, and Sara’s might not cut it – due to the obscene instalments laid out in the deal.

Rowe looks like a top target for Leeds, and as the report shares, the fact Leeds think £7million is a feasible opening offer says a lot.

The 49ers wouldn’t put in such a bid if they didn’t think it would be getting them anywhere on Rowe.

Tottenham are investing in a strong young core, so their interest wouldn’t be a shock either, and you could imagine Rowe hitting the ground running under Ange Postecoglou.