Robbie Evans, Leeds United’s managing director, believes the club have enough firepower to avoid relegation this year but admits the task is tough.
Following Saturday’s goalless draw with Newcastle United, Daniel Farke had shared his belief that it would be “difficult” to avoid the drop if more attacking reinforcement was not brought in before deadline day.
Monday came and went without a new attacker despite last week’s chase of Brighton & Hove Albion’s Facundo Buonanotte and the deadline day pursuit of Fulham’s Harry Wilson. The Leeds board was frustrated not to get the final piece of the jigsaw in place but ultimately believes the squad has enough goal threat.
“I do think we have enough firepower to stay up,” Evans told Leeds Live and other local journalists. “But it's always a concern, like every promoted side has that concern of scoring.
"At the same time, the goals you allow are as important. And so for us, it's always a trade off of adding defensive firepower versus offensive firepower and getting the balance right.
“So I do think that our strategy this summer was balanced towards both those things. And in so much as the goal is to win 10 games, I think we're capable of winning them.”
When Farke’s “difficult” comment was put to Evans, he replied: “It was difficult either way. It's certainly a little more difficult without more attackers and we all understand that.
“We talked [with Farke] last night, he also spoke with Adam. He had the same view that we did, in that we would have liked it [more attackers], but we have a great squad. We did tonnes of work early. We're averaging two points a game at home. And we'll go with the guys we have.”
Switch from Muniz to Calvert-Lewin
Rodrigo Muniz
Rodrigo Muniz (Image: Getty Images)
United were chasing Rodrigo Muniz as their number one target for most of the summer before a quick switch was enacted, as an opportunity opened for Dominic Cavert-Lewin. The free agent was someone they had always tracked but felt was beyond reach, as Evans explained.
“The striker evolution for us this summer was really exciting and interesting. Early in the window, Rodrigo was our target because we were told he might be available to us at that same time. We had asked on Dom and had been told in no uncertain terms, you cannot get that guy - ‘he's going to a big club in Europe or a big club in England’.
“So on our list at that point in time of the profile we're looking for - which is a certain combination of experience, size, speed, goals, character, and the right age profile - Rodrigo was the obvious first place to look.
“It became clearer and clearer that he would not be available to us - not just at the price we had expected, but also possibly not at all. Right as we were getting the signals that the Muniz deal is probably not feasible, we had a glimmer of hope that Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be achievable because the interest that he thought he would materialise early summer had not fully happened yet.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is aiming to rebuild his career at Leeds United (Image: Leeds United FC via Getty Images)
“We moved very quickly to get in front of Dom, his agent, his family, and pitch, the club, the project. And in less than a week from getting that sort of indicator, he was here in the building signing his contract. I understand from the outside, that was viewed at times as being rushed, or the phrase ‘panic move’ came up.
“I view it the exact opposite way, which was we knew all along what our profile was, we knew all along who we liked and didn't like, and the second one guy began to turn off and one guy turned on, we could snap into action and go and get him. So to me, that was an example of rapid response, not of some kind of panic or rushed action.”
Evans added: “So we're very proud of the way we went and got Dom, who, by the way, turned down a Champions League contract the day we signed him. And we're thrilled that he's here.
“From a sporting perspective, that was a shared view from the manager, from the head of recruitment and the sporting director that of all the options that were even plausibly available to us, nobody was a better fit to the objective of staying up with this season than Dominic was.”
Those within the hierarchy have told Leeds Live they are aware of the risks of acquiring both Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha given their injury records, but they underlined their faith in the medical team and game-load management of the coaching staff to minimise setback chances.
Joseph and Ramazani loan exits
Fans have questioned the loan exit of Largie Ramazani amid their concern over attacking thrust. High-ranking sources at the club have highlighted his limited usage by Farke, having not started a league game since December.
He was even left out of the squad entirely against Arsenal upon the arrival of Noah Okafor. The feeling is that the loan to Valencia is both beneficial for the player and the club. The decision not to include an option to buy means Leeds hold the cards with next steps.
Largie Ramazani is on loan at Valencia for the season
Largie Ramazani is on loan at Valencia for the season (Image: Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
“We insisted we have the option to bring him back to the club,” Evans confirmed. “Largie was not getting the minutes he needed last season. This year we've added Jack Harrison and Noah Okafor, making it even harder for him to get the pitch.
“So for him to get the minutes he needs, he's better off playing in Spain. He's being coached by someone that we know and trust. And we hope that's good for him and that his future is open here, if that's the right thing for him.”
Mateo Joseph is another attacker who has been allowed to leave on loan without a buy-out clause. He downed tools in pre-season and handed in a transfer request, indicating a desire for a move to Spain. Despite his actions, the door remains open for a future reintegration.
Evans said: “We think very highly of Mateo. He has all those same characteristics of the right profile, skill set, etcetera, to play any league in Europe, including in the Premier League.
“He needs the minutes. And part of why his loan took as long as it did is that every team that was trying to take him on loan was requiring a buy option.
“We simply said, there's no way you're getting an option on this player. The only way Mateo's going on loan is if the door is open for us to have him back in this building.
“So he's got a season-long loan with no buy option, and our hope is he has a phenomenal season in Mallorca and comes back. He's a favourite of the club, he's a favourite of the chairman, and so we hope he does great.”
Mateo Joseph standing with his hands on his hips while playing for RCD Mallorca at Estadio de Son Moix
Mateo Joseph standing with his hands on his hips while playing for RCD Mallorca at Estadio de Son Moix (Image: Getty Images)
Free agents and January
Though the summer transfer window is over, Leeds still have the possibility of signing free agents. And of course, there is the January market halfway through the season too. However, the chances of either option being utilised is slim, according to Evans.
“I think whether it's in the window or it's the free agent market only or it is January, it's all about what does the team actually need.
“I don't think right now there is any need so great that it's worth going to the free market to fill it, in part because I doubt the right player is there. It's a great market for injuries. But beyond that, it's probably wait and see.
“And once we get through the first 10 games, your eight games from January. If we have to evaluate, we'll use that. But our goal is to avoid January, if possible.
“So there's a reason we didn't do a big thing in January last year or the year before. The goal is to be done early, and actually we got all of our core guys done before the season even began for that reason. Not just before deadline day, but actually before August was the goal, but the key ones.
"And so it's there, but we don't see using free agency as a priority because there's only a handful of players we felt were good enough to begin with.
"And the pool obviously shrinks dramatically when you go from the entirety of the window or the players in the window to the handful of free agents that are available.”
Here at LeedsLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the bestLeeds Unitedcoverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest Leeds news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clickinghereto subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Clickhereto be sent all the day's biggest stories.