Most of the Leeds United squad has now returned for pre-season testing after a summer of celebration. A handful have been allowed a delayed return after taking part in international competition.
Mateo Joseph - who will speak to the club about his next steps - and Wilfried Gnonto will both return to base next week after representing Spain and Italy respectively in this summer’s Under-21 European Championships.
Brenden Aaronson will return a little while after having only competed in the USA’s Gold Cup final defeat to Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning. Nevertheless, Monday marked the start of pre-season and Daniel Farke will be in the process of ramping up certain objectives on his to-do list.
Tactical changes
It’s unlikely that Farke will deviate from his traditional 4-2-3-1 formation having used it for the majority of his managerial career. Sources have informed Leeds Live that the idea next season will still be to try and keep the ball and work the opposition, albeit with a more cautious approach.
Leeds are going to be on the back foot in most games and will have to rely on transitional play. Aaronson being currently the only specialised number 10 means his delayed return hampers United from doing concentrated training on this, though in truth such work will not be on the agenda so early in pre-season. It's all about fitness.
Nevertheless, the arrival of new players allows these initial recruits to get used to the messaging Farke will convey ahead of the season and fully understand what the manager is asking of them in their respective roles.
Sorting out the spine
Farke and club chiefs are pleased that the primary defence selections have been sorted. Jaka Bijol will partner Joe Rodon at centre-half while Gabriel Gudmundsson arrives as the main left-back, with Jayden Bogle retaining his place on the other flank.
However, regarding the spine, only one of four areas has been locked down. The absence of a new goalkeeper means the backline is still incomplete while a new midfielder is needed, as is a marquee centre-forward. It's unclear how much of a priority a new number 10 is.
United appear to have had a £12million package bid for midfielder Sean Longstaff accepted by Newcastle United. They are meanwhile holding lengthy discussions over new goalkeeper options albeit have yet to decide on who the top target is.
Sean Longstaff of Newcastle United
Sean Longstaff of Newcastle United (Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Rodrigo Muniz of Fulham seems to be admired by the club, but it has otherwise been rather quiet on the centre-forward front. That’s hardly a sign to panic, though, given that the type of calibre Leeds need will have multiple offers and may not make a decision until later on in the window.
The same can be said for goalkeepers. Though, Leeds ideally need to get these core players in before the start of the season, not just deadline day on September 1.
After a tricky three opening Premier League games comes a nice run where Leeds need to pick up points. So the sooner the spine is bedded in before then, the better.
Loanees and youngsters
It seems clear, given United’s tight financial spending limits, that the majority of last year’s loan players will be offloaded, while there will be little space for youngsters to gain regular minutes next season - meaning that loans may be sanctioned.
While the future of Jack Harrison remains hazy right now, it seems inevitable that the likes of Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood will be sold. There is a three-pronged decision to make with Darko Gyabi too; keep as a squad player, loan out again or sell for cash.
Charlie Crew and Sam Chambers seem destined for loans barring the unlikely scenario of irresistible bids being tabled, while James Debayo could follow suit if he signs a new deal as expected. Farke’s task here is to sort out who he definitely does not want and which players he will ask to wait before a decision is made on their future.
United’s success in the transfer market will dictate the next steps of many, Gyabi being the best example. Harry Gray will surely stay in-house given his tender age of just 16 - what better experience than to train with Premier League first-teamers?
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