Chris Sutton has challenged Graeme Souness' views
Chris Sutton believes Leeds United have bagged an 'upgrade' with the signing of James Trafford this summer. The Whites enjoyed a memorable opening day of the Premier League season, scoring late to defeat Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Anton Stach scored with 88 minutes on the clock to ensure the Whites got off on the right foot as they look to enjoy a more comfortable campaign. The Whites stayed up relatively comfortably last season, but they were still involved in the relegation battle and had to pull off some big results in the final run-in.
Daniel Farke will have bigger ambitions this time around, and the Whites have already done some smart recruitment, leaving pundit Sutton impressed. The former Chelsea striker said on TalkSport before the Forest win: "I'm looking forward to seeing Leeds' new signings this afternoon, James Trafford. He feels like an upgrade in goal. The big centre-half Tarik Muharemovic and Harry Wilson is a fantastic signing, he was superb for Fulham last season."
Sutton added after the game: "Massive three points for Leeds. Brilliant from Anton Stach at the end, that moment of magic gave Leeds the three points."
Trafford kept a clean sheet on his competitive Leeds debut, already starting to pay off his record transfer fee. WhoScored gave Trafford a 7.1 on his debut, while Muharemovic will be pleased to have kept a clean sheet as part of the back three, while Wilson had a goal ruled out for offside and wasn't as lively as he would have liked to have been.
via Reuters
The Whites are likely to make further signings this summer, with less than two weeks remaining in the transfer window, but Farke will be pleased with what his current squad produced. It was a tough challenge to go to the City Ground and take on Forest in front of an excitable crowd on Glasner's league debut as manager, but Leeds held their nerve and pulled off the late win.
Leeds United's summer signings
James Trafford - Man City
Tarik Muharemovic - Sassuolo
Nico Elvedi - Borussia Monchengladbach
Harry Wilson - Fulham (Out of contract)
What Farke said about Leeds' opening day win
Daniel Farke
Farke said after the game: "Very happy. Especially an away win at a very difficult ground, and a tight game. A clean sheet, too. It was a game of different periods, and we started on front foot. Both teams had situations where they put pressure on the opponent. Transition moments and set pieces were dangerous, and we had to be spot on. We won this game because we defended well. It could have gone the other way, but I'm happy we can convert our pre-season into the season."
He added on Trafford's performance: "A Clean sheet. He has a natural aura around him. I'm happy with him, but it was just his first game."
Daniel Farke
Daniel Farke