Leeds United Chat • The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Wednesday 26th January) Winter of discontent for the U23's
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Good Morning. It's Wednesday 26th January, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road
Winter of discontent for the U23's
Joe Gelhardt was spotted in the stands supporting his teammates on Monday Evening, as they were ripped apart by Blackburn Rovers. Even with Leo Hjelde, Lewis Bate, Liam McCarron and Stuart McKinstry all starting for the U23's, the Riversiders netted four times, without response. Unfortunately for the Whites, it was decided that as Gelhardt played a ten-minute cameo against Newcastle on Saturday, that he would be rested for the relegation six pointer. The devastating loss moves Blackburn within a point of Leeds who are third from bottom.
Their form this season raises questions from both Mark Jackson and Marcelo Bielsa. Whilst many will argue that including some of the youngsters in first team affairs has weakened the U23 squad, there seems to be discontent in the youth camp. It has been well documented that Cody Drameh joined Cardiff on loan against Bielsa's wish, and now more players including Crysencio Summerville could be departing. The 20yo is frustrated at the amount of first team opportunities and (apparently) is close to signing a loan to buy deal with German outfit Hamburg.
The Dutch winger missed the 4-0 hammering on Monday evening, though his absence has not been explained. If he was injured, surely we would have heard about it?
JKA diagnosed with GBS
Former Whites striker Jean-Kevin Augustin has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a very rare and serious condition where your body's immune system attacks the nerves. It is not known how long the former French U21 has had the condition, but it could go a long way to describe his performances on the pitch. The side effects include lack of balance and co-ordination, muscle weakness and diarrhea. These issues beautifully sum up his performances for Leeds. The report also indicates Augustin has suffered from long Covid and depression. He is currently contracted to Nantes second team, who play in the fourth tier of French football.
Leeds are appealing the 18m payment they promised RB Leipzig (for Augustin) on technical grounds, and will appear at the Arbitration for Sport on the 15th March.
YEP link Leeds to Spanish ace
The Yorkshire Evening Post are reporting that Leeds are interested in former Real Madrid striker Raul de Tomas. The 27yo has been in fine form for Espanyol, which led to winning two International caps with Spain last year. In 71 appearances, Tomas has netted 38 times, attracting the likes of West Ham and Arsenal.
He came through the ranks at Real Madrid, where he spent fifteen years, before joining Benfica in 2019 for €20m. Things didn't work out there, and Tomas joined Espanyol six months later for the same fee.
Whilst it's encouraging to hear, I very much doubt Leeds will want to dig deep into their coffers, especially as Bielsa is happy with the way things are!
