Leeds United might be looking into the loan market this summer as they explore every avenue to try and make their squad Premier League ready.
Two loan deals came off as a success last season with Joe Rothwell providing some vital moments and Manor Solomon doing so well that supporters in the away end at Plymouth Argyle chanted at Paraag Marathe to “sign him up”.
Praise has to go to the recruitment department, which has undergone a restructure in recent months. The exit of Angus Kinnear has seen Robbie Evans step up as managing director and essentially take over CEO duties, while Adam Underwood becomes sporting chief.
In conjunction with Daniel Farke and the 49ers, the pair will be assessing market options and looking at who the club can target. Kalvin Phillips is not one Leeds have locked in their sights, though.
The midfielder’s wages at Manchester City, thought to be more than £150,000 a week, are a stumbling block and so is his injury record. Phillips is expected to miss pre-season after undergoing a recent Achilles operation.
The fact the player still has three years left on his deal at Man City means another loan exit could be in the offing given few clubs are thought to be willing to pay out for Phillips, even at a reduced rate, given wage demands and also level of performance.
Salary and injury concerns mean Leeds deem Phillips a risky loanee in light of loan rules. Premier League transfer regulations outline that clubs are only allowed a maximum of two loan players from England and Wales, and only four overall.
Their concern over Phillips indicates that Leeds are looking at the domestic loan market and could well fill their quota by deadline day. The fact the club has a lower three-year loss threshold of £61million compared to the £105m of rivals and Burnley’s £83m already puts them on the back foot.
While players may be sold in order to whip up some extra cash for arrivals, the loan market is another sphere in which Leeds can bolster their squad for low cost in the short term, as is the free agent field.
Free agents can be brought in without limit by nature of the player being unattached to a club. But the loan market is more restrictive to prevent flirtations of competitiveness within the Premier League.
This all means that Leeds and other clubs have to choose wisely when it comes to loanees. Clearly, right now, Phillips is too much of a gamble.
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