The latest episode of BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast has landed.
Strikers, defenders, wingers and terrible predictions are all on the agenda as Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix discuss possible ins and outs at Elland Road.
Image source, Leeds United FCThe Leeds United Foundation has appointed Whites supporter Frances Milner as new chief executive officer.
Milner replaces John Mallalieu, who was accused of bullying staff and creating a "toxic" environment, following an internal investigation in June 2023.
Before taking up this role, Milner spent four years as director of fundraising and marketing at The Prince's Trust and worked for Cancer Research UK in a number of senior roles.
Chief executive, Angus Kinnear said: "We are excited for the future of the Leeds United Foundation with Frances at the helm.
"She has a proven track record in the charity sector and we now look forward to her driving the Foundation in a positive trajectory."
Image source, Getty ImagesLeeds United winger Jack Harrison is set to return to Everton on loan for the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
The former England Under-21 international spent last season at Goodison Park following Leeds' relegation from the top flight in 2023 and made 29 league appearances for the Toffees, scoring three goals.
With Leeds consigned to another campaign in the Championship, the 27-year-old is poised to return to Goodison Park.
His contract with Leeds expires in 2028.
Image source, ReutersLeeds United have confirmed that head of medicine and performance Rob Price has left the club.
Price had been with Leeds since 2018 and chief executive Angus Kinnear said: "On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to thank Rob for his commitment and dedication to Leeds United, especially during the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic in the 2019-20 season.
"We all have great respect and appreciation for Rob, and naturally we are disappointed to see him leave the club, but we wish him every success in the future."
Image source, Getty ImagesOn the latest episode of BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, the panel spoke about in-demand Leeds winger Crysencio Summerville and whether he will become a top Premier League player in the future.
Reporter Adam Pope said: "He's got all of the talent and a lot of the time we see the hard work going in. I do accept there were some injuries this season, or having to manage muscle conditions, but hard work isn't just about running, it's about being mentally prepared and totally focused on it.
"For somebody like him, the world is his oyster if he combines it all together and completely commits to it because he could be a prodigious talent. He is only 22."
The Dutch winger has been linked with moves to several top-flight clubs this summer and Pope added: "He was probably the first name and had been for a while who, if Leeds didn't go up, he was probably the prime one that would go.
"He's had Premier League experience, last year he gets 21 goals in all competitions and double figures for assists. Clearly he's better than the Championship and there's definitely a Premier League future for him. I just wonder how far can he go?"
Presenter Jonny Buchan said: "I'm not convinced he's top-end Premier League. Is he Premier League? Probably, but I think as it stands right now, at the middle to bottom end.
"I'm not just saying this with hindsight because he's going and you do the whole 'play him down when they're leaving'. There were a lot of games where, for me, he left a lot out there and you thought 'you could have done more today'. That makes me question whether he is that top-end Premier League player."
Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix concluded: "I'm with Jonny in that I would be surprised if a Premier League team don't come and get him, but also I don't think he's top, top end - at the moment at least."
Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesJaidon Anthony. Would you have him back?
It is hard to see a future for him at Bournemouth, where he is way down the pecking order behind Antoine Semenyo, Luis Sinsisterra, Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert and Dango Ouattara, after he spending last season on loan at Elland Road.
Anthony made 38 appearances for Leeds United - 31 of them from the bench - and scored two goals.
Admittedly, the fight for a starting position on the wing at Leeds was deeply competitive with Championship's player of the year Crysencio Summerville, Wales international Dan James and Italy's Willy Gnonto ahead of Anthony.
However, with Summerville expected to leave in the summer and Jack Harrison likely to renew his loan at Everton, how big is the case to bring the 24-year-old back on a permanent deal?
Leeds boss Daniel Farke was keen to bring Anthony in once Sinisterra left in acrimonious circumstances for Vitality Stadium, and there always seemed a vibrancy about the forward whenever he came on.
He tragically lost his mother at the turn of the year, so it is to his credit that he continued making an impact and carrying a threat.
A year working with Farke means he is attuned to his ways and what is expected at the club.
The evidence is Anthony can last the Championship distance.
With Bournemouth in 2022-23, he started 38 of his 45 league appearances as the Cherries won automatic promotion, scoring eight goals and supplying six assists. He then made 30 appearances and scored three Premier League goals.
Last month, as Leeds were heading towards the play-offs, Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola extolled Anthony's virtues.
"He is a player I like a lot," he told the Daily Echo.
"His attitude, how he understands everything we try to tell him, he trains very well. Attitude-wise, you know that it's a guarantee. So I think he is someone that can help every team."
Anthony has pedigree having spent a decade on Arsenal's books before joining Bournemouth in 2016.
He is under contract with the Cherries until 2027, but the right offer this summer could see his future and best years elsewhere.
Image source, Getty ImagesOn the latest episode of Don't Go To Bed Just Yet, BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope discusses Max Wober's future with Leeds United after his return from a loan spell Borussia Monchengladbach.
Wober left Elland Road in the summer of 2023, following the club's relegation from the Premier League.
"I would say there is probably a lot of Leeds fans who will think of him as the most shocking one, that they expected to stay, to go out of the door," said Pope.
"That doesn't sit well with Leeds fans, so I think there is a lot of ground for him to make up to try to get some goodwill back.
"Whenever they put the shirt on, I'm sure Leeds fans will support them regardless of who it is, but I think there is a big chasm to be crossed with the fans and if he doesn't perform well in the Euros [for Austria] then that is not going to help his cause. I do think he is good enough to be a solid Championship defender though."
Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix added: "I think we are going to have to resign ourselves to the fact that he is coming back, get ourselves in that headspace.
"But, if he does go, he's in that 'can't sell him at a loss category' like Brenden Aaronson and other people. This is why I think - for a good few months, Leeds fans - just think of him in that shirt and come to terms with the possibility that you might be seeing a lot more of him."
It may be the summer break for domestic football, but there is still plenty for BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast to discuss.
On this week's episode, Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix ask whether Max Wober will have a role to play at Elland Road next season, as well as discussing Crysencio Summerville's future and whether clubs will meet Leeds' valuation of the Dutch winger.
Brighton have opened talks over a deal for 22-year-old Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United. (Talksport), external
Leeds United, Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City are among the clubs interested in signing 26-year-old Wales and Tottenham defender Joe Rodon. (Football.London), external
In the latest episode of My Mate's A Footballer, comedian Joe Wilkinson and Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford talk all things England before the start of Euro 2024.
They discuss who should start and whether players can enjoy tournaments like these as a fan or whether it is a busman's holiday.
Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds
Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesLeeds United captain Liam Cooper's Scotland kick-off Euro 2024 against hosts Germany in Munich on Friday - the same day the transfer window opens.
Out-of-contract Cooper, 32, is in talks about extending his stay while in the meantime, supporters will follow the action in Germany while scrolling through all the players linked with manager Daniel Farke's second promotion push.
Pre-season plans are being revealed but fans really want to know whose name they can have printed on next season's kit. Following every suggestion out there will send you insane - but the appetite for news and opinion is insatiable.
In the round-up of transfer 'news' you will have seen Crysencio Summerville emerging as a £30m transfer target for Liverpool while Wolves are poised to beat Leeds to sign Southampton and Scotland forward Che Adams on a free transfer.
Chief executive and club director Angus Kinnear, a self-confessed football romantic, once told me how wild speculation around signings is not to be treated as an imposter. Inaccurate as much of the transfer gossip tends to be, his view is that it keeps a club's name in the spotlight. It is part of the game.
However, let us deal with the facts. After missing out on promotion by the narrowest of margins, it is inarguable that United performed well in the transfer market last season.
Ethan Ampadu, Sam Byram, Joe Rodon (on loan) and Ilia Gruev all performed well. During his 42 appearances, Glen Kamara proved he can cope with life at the top end of the Championship. There were promising moments from other loanees Jaidon Anthony and Connor Roberts while, despite heavy criticism from some quarters, Joel Piroe still finished as second top goalscorer with 14 in addition to the two he had scored at Swansea City.
The management team responsible for making those decisions remains intact, in conjunction with Farke, and has been further strengthened with Jordan Miles coming in from Aberdeen as head of recruitment.
Kinnear heads up the football side of the business while football adviser Nick Hammond will remain at the club throughout the summer with Gretar Steinsson as technical director.
The buck stops with chairman Paraag Marathe but there is a wealth of experience for him to lean on. There is now a track record of stability and forward planning, two traits not normally associated with summers at Elland Road.
Image source, Getty ImagesLeeds United have confirmed that 10 academy players have agreed scholarships with the club.
The young footballers have penned two-year deals at Elland Road with the club's academy.
The new scholars, while working on their football development, have the opportunity to undertake a variety of educational programmes.
They will also be studying for a BTec Diploma to help grow their skills away from the pitch.
On the announcement, the club said: "Everyone at Leeds United would like to congratulate the players on signing scholarships with the academy, and look forward to seeing their continued development at Thorp Arch."
With Leeds United's Brenden Aaronson looking set to stay with the club after returning from his mixed loan spell at Union Berlin, the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast discusses the midfielder's Elland Road future.
Image source, Getty ImagesKaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix has been discussing Leeds United's recruitment and what the club do about returning loan players: "I think I'm being overly positive because I would prefer none of them to stay, but I understand there is a financial implication.
"I would like to have some money to buy other people we need - a striker, a number 10, a central defender, maybe a left-back but I don't think that will happen.
"I do also think it is a bit harsh on the previous regime even with Laurens De Bock. Because I think there is always a thing where, if I make you my director of football for my football team, I'm only telling you I have got £500,000 to spend on a left back, find me one in January. You go 'there is this guy Laurens De Bock, he's OK'. But he isn't good is he? Because otherwise he would be £5m.
"The disappointing thing about the previous regime was when we were trying to buy cheap and make a profit like on Raphinha, that is when it worked, but it also didn't work on some other players. The thing that was most disappointing was when we went 'OK, we are actually going to spend some proper money now, we're going to get Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Weston McKennie' and they were all terrible. That was the problem.
"Even with Georgino Rutter, there is a time to go for your record signing. When you need a certain something to get you out of relegation, we have seen amazing things out of him this last season and I love the fact he is at Leeds, but having now seen what he offers we couldn't have picked a more wrong player for what we needed at that time."
The latest episode of BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast has landed on BBC Sounds.
This week, Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix discuss what has already turned into a busy summer at Elland Road, with players leaving and others being offered new contracts.
They also chat about the new company formed by Leeds owners the 49ers.
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesLeeds United defender Sam Byram will stay at the Championship club for the 2024-25 season after triggering a one-year extension to his deal at Elland Road.
Byram, 30, made 37 appearances and scored two goals despite struggling with injury last season after returning to the club for a second spell.
Out-of-contract right-back Cody Drameh has been offered a new deal despite United manager Daniel Farke sending him on loan to Birmingham City at the end of last summer's transfer window.
The 22-year-old appeared 30 times in all competitions for Blues, who were relegated to League One.
Leeds remain in talks with captain Liam Cooper, 32, and versatile Jamie Shackleton, 24, about extending their contracts after their existing deals have expired.
Cooper, who has made nearly 300 appearances during a decade with the Whites, is currently with the Scotland squad preparing for Euro 2024 in Germany.
As expected, the recently-retired Stuart Dallas and Luke Ayling, who has signed a two-year deal with Championship rivals Middlesbrough after a successful loan spell at Riverside Stadium, were released.
They have been joined by winger Ian Poveda and midfielder Lewis Bate, who have struggled to make an impact on the first-team squad and have both had multiple spells out on loan.
Image source, Getty ImagesLeeds United will face Harrogate Town in a pre-season friendly at Exercise Stadium on Friday, 19 July.
Their match against the League Two side will begin at 19:30 BST.
Their most recent contest was also in a pre-season match, when Leeds beat Harrogate 4-2 in 2017.
Patrick Bamford says it was "horrible" to be ruled out of Leeds' Championship play-off final defeat by Southampton at Wembley with a knee injury.
He said on the latest episode of My Mate's A Footballer on BBC Sounds: "It was horrible. You are sat there like a fan. You are nervous. You are hoping and jumping up at every chance thinking something is going to happen.
"I still felt, especially going into the game, that we were going to win. It just wasn't our turn.
"Afterwards, I think a lot of the boys just wanted to get off the pitch as soon as possible, after we had clapped the fans. I spoke to Coops [Liam Cooper] and the manager to say that we had to stay and congratulate Southampton.
"They had won and it was the right thing to do, so they were in agreement. You can lose a game, but it is worse if you lose and you are a bad sport. It was hard but I think the lads went about it the right way.
"The changing room, when we went in, was silent. The manager spoke a little bit - he is an experienced guy so he knew that it didn't matter what he said then, because no one wanted to hear anything.
"The one thing we did do - which was quite nice - was we all went back to Leeds and went up to the rooftop bar in the hotel with our families. It wasn't a celebration, obviously, it was just to see off the season together.
"It showed that we were together as a group. It was nice, but it was a strange atmosphere for the first couple of hours."
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast has been discussing what is next for 18-year-old Archie Gray and whether he will be happy to remain with Leeds in the Championship next season.
Presenter Jonny Buchan said: "I think he's going to be a world-class player. Jude Bellingham just won the Champions League at 20. Archie, if he stays with us another year, will be 19 and still be in the Championship.
"If we all think Archie is going to be the player he's going to be, then the opportunity to move to a club like Dortmund that might play him at that age - surely it's one that everyone around him will say 'you have to go and take that opportunity'. If it arrives."
Leeds commentator Adam Pope added: "He is so good, so why wouldn't he want to play at the highest level? Leeds aren't going to provide that for you in the short term.
"What you ask then is what is an acceptable price? What is Archie Gray worth?"
Listen to the full episode here
