The Scratching Shed

With Leeds United not in action until tomorrow, I thought we’d take a look at what happened elsewhere this weekend.

Millwall and QPR move level top of the Championship with consecutive wins that leave their goal margin at +7 each. It was a case of newly promoted vs newly demoted at the Den, with last years League One play-off winners destroying Hull City 4-0 in one of those games where it’s unfortunate that they both couldn’t lose. Meanwhile, QPR had things rapped up early against our Yorkshire rivals, Sheffield United with all three of their goals coming in the first 23 minutes of the match.

After a poor start to the campaign, Kevin Blackwell has been sacked by Sheffield United after a humiliating home defeat at the hands of former Blades manager, Neil Warnock.

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Leeds United aren’t the only club keeping the purse-strings tightly clenched this summer in the Championship. Statistics from transfermarkt.co.uk, show no fewer than half the clubs in England’s second tier have yet to spend in the transfer market.

Of those clubs that have invested in new players, only six have passed the £1,000,000 mark with Middlesbrough the ones to watch after spending more than £6,000,000 on new additions such as Kevin Thomson, Stephen McManus and Nick Bailey.

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Had an unexpected break from work last week, so I did the most sensible thing I could think of and jumped on a flight to Spain. Strange to be in a country where the locals still care about the World Cup come the latter stages.

Home-town boy comes... home!

Meanwhile, back in Leeds, it’s all been going on. Two new signings in the form of Neill Collins and Lloyd Sam have arrived at Elland Road making it six so far for Simon Grayson, and if the rumours are to be believed, Larry isn’t done yet.

The name on everyone’s lips is still Gary Hooper. The Scunthorpe youngster has never hid his desire to ply his trade at a bigger club, and Leeds United have long been seen as perfect suitors. The latest rumour claims that Leeds are close to sealing a deal for the young striker, with a price tag of £3,000,000 and a 20% sell-on clause as a nice little cherry on the top for Scunny.

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With the World Cup now over (as far as I’m concerned) the attention turns back to Leeds United and the latest rumours gathering pace. With the transfer window opening in less than 48 hours, Leeds United fans may soon get an idea as to whether we’ll be spending anything this summer or whether Simon Grayson’s promise of ‘more signings,’ simply means ‘more free transfers.’

Jay Demerit

Demerit playing for the Yanks

We start with an out of contract American, who played against England at the World Cup. Demerit is a 30-year old centre-back, who has so far won 25 caps for the USA.

During the game against Algeria, Demerit received a nasty injury to his tongue. He continued to play through the pain barrier however, despite the injury requiring five stitches after the game. Demerit shows the kind of determined, ‘never say die’ attitude Leeds United fans love and would link up with fellow American, Mike Grella.

Demerit was also part of the team that beat Spain 2-0 in the Confederations Cup, later being described as ‘superb’ in the Spanish press. He’s spent the last six years at Watford, where he made 182 appearances.

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Elland Road bound?

Tresor Kandol today agreed a deal to join Scunthorpe United on the 1st of July when the summer transfer window opens.

Tres’ final game for Leeds United will be one he hopes to forget. After entering the field as a substitution in a crucial game against Norwich, Tres was sent off just 20 seconds later. That result ultimately paved the way for Norwich City to secure the League One title, whilst Leeds had to battle on to the final day. Kandol was never again included in the squad by Simon Grayson.

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On an otherwise slow day for Leeds United news, we start the bank holiday with the story that a bidding war has began for Gary Hooper with Middlesbrough the first club to show their hand.

It’s believed that Leeds United are amongst a number of teams, including Celtic, Middlesbrough, Wigan and Wolves that are chasing the 22-year old Scunthorpe striker.

Hooper has, in the past, indicated his desire to join Leeds when previous speculation forced the striker to respond. He told the press that he’d be reluctant to drop a division, but some teams were too big and it’d be hard to resist.

What will worry a lot of Leeds United fans today is the suggestion that Boro have opened the bidding at £2.5m. With speculation rife that Simon Grayson has little, or no money to spend, it seems unlikely that Larry will be able to match the opening bid.

Perhaps it’s clutching at straws, but the only positive in the race so far is Hooper’s previous suggestion that he’d like to join Leeds United. Whether another club can offer the talented youngster a quicker road to the Premier League however may be the decisive factor.

Jermaine Beckford at Scunthorpe, Tresor Kandol at Millwall and now Davide Somma at Lincoln. It seems whenever we loan a striker out, they go on to change the course of the respective teams season, no moreso than Davide Somma who seems to be almost single-handedly saving Lincoln City from non-league football next season.

Two goals against Bournemouth at the weekend took Somma’s tally to seven in nine games and unsuprisingly left the Lincoln City fans raving about his ability. Back at Elland Road meanwhile, Leeds’ star striker has failed to find the back of the net in over a month with Leeds’ only goals coming from Gradel, Becchio and Richard Naylor.

Whilst Leeds’ form has taken a turn in the right direction, it does seem that whenever Beckford isn’t firing on all cylinders, we invariably suffer. It’s no surprise then that some Leeds United fans think Somma may be worth recalling and given a chance in the first team. On the evidence of his two goals below, it might not be a bad idea.

His second goal looks like something straight out of the Tony Yeboah school of shooting and could well net him the League Two goal of the season award, whilst his first shows the kind of clever finishing Leeds United sometimes lack, dummying the keeper before rolling the ball home with all the casualness of a striker bursting with confidence.

All the attention today will be on Elland Road to see whether or not Jermaine Beckford makes an appearence, but with his transfer clearly inevitable, I thought we should look deeper at the stats of his possible successors.

After one user criticised my earlier post claiming that the Beckford to Newcastle deal was done, I feel I should first clarify my position on this. I still believe the deal is done, but it’s simply a case of crossing the i’s and dotting the t’s. Jermaine Beckford clearly made that statement saying he was going to Newcastle, or else the club would have dismissed it by now. It’d be stupid of them not to as any other potential suitors would go elsewhere if they believed (as it appears) the deal is already as good as done. I guess today will reveal a lot, but a company like Goal.com aren’t going to make quotes they can’t back up or court-case happy, Ken Bates led Leeds United would be sending the lawyers round.

Anyway, back to the point at hand. I’ve compiled a table of stats for the four strikers the bookies are favouring to replace Beckford. The appearences and goals are league games only and for the club they are currently signed to.

It’s worth noting that Billy Sharp’s record away from Sheffield is a lot better. His average goals per game ratio at Scunthorpe United for example was 0.64, which is better than that of Beckford’s at Leeds. Similarly, whilst he’s been on loan at Doncaster Rovers he’s managed a record of 0.625 goals per game. It just seems that at Sheffield United, he’s never really been able to perform as he can.

Looking at the stats with that in mind, it’s quite obvious why these are the players the bookies are favouring. Leeds United need to replace Beckford with someone capable of one in two. They’re more likely to invest in someone of a relatively young age, which is why 21-year-old Hooper was 2/1 favourite the last time I checked. Leeds United will also need a player capable of peforming in the Championship, and since Hooper is already at that level with struggling Scunthorpe, he ticks all the right boxes. You don’t have to be a professional scout to be able to see the list of criteria required by Leeds, but the one thing no one has really considered is cash.

We’re all assuming Beckford will go for somewhere in the region of £2m. I aren’t convinced Scunthorpe would part with their star-player for such a price, especially since his departure would almost certainly seal their fate as one of the relegated teams from this years Championship. Whilst Hooper is my preferred choice of replacement, the big questions are whether we can get him for the same (or less) than we get for Beckford, and will Bates be willing to add further funds if not?

A quote from Hooper yesterday, in response to the speculation has been interpreted differently by many fans, but for me, it signals his willingness to join Leeds;

“I want to stay at Scunny, but it will be in the back of everyone’s head that I will be going there.

“But I am staying at Scunny and playing at Derby tomorrow hopefully.

“I would be keen (to stay) but if a big club comes in, you never know.”

Given we’re the only team I’m aware of being linked with Hooper, the big club must be us. Maybe it’s years of supporting Leeds that’s made me cynical, but when a player refuses to catergorically rule out a move away from a club, it tends to mean he’s leaving, which is exactly what he’s done here. The door is wide open and this is a screaming invitation for Simon Grayson to collect.

Billy Sharp meanwhile is a definite option. Out of favour at Sheffield United, so undoubtedly available on the cheap. He’s also young and as I pointed out above, he has got a 0.6+ ratio away from Sheffield. He’d tick all the right boxes not only in terms of playing criteria, but also in terms of cost, which would undoubtedly make him Bates’ favourite and give him an edge over the others.

Billy Sharp and Gary Hooper then clearly leading the way, but Aaron McLean and Lee Barnard are good outside shots. That said, this is Simon Grayson whose transfer dealings have never been done publically. Very little was heard about Max Gradel before he signed on the dotted line, so an unexpected striker like the earlier linked Steve Davies from Derby shouldn’t be ruled out. Should make for an interesting few weeks anyway!

Jermaine Beckford’s agent has confirmed on Five Live that the striker has handed a transfer request into the club just days after making himself a hero with his winning goal at Old Trafford.

"Not Leeds United's, that's for sure!"

After a year of speculation surrounding the strikers future, things began to look ominous in January when Newcastle were linked to the striker and their manager confirmed he was interested.

As well as Newcastle, other clubs can’t be ruled out with Aston Villa allegedly interested too and the bookies offering odds of 2/1 with him moving there, although these are likely to change in light of current news.

The striker, who won the Leeds United fans hearts when he dismissed initial transfer speculation a couple of years ago with the famous line ‘What shirt am I wearin’ bruv?’ has had a turbulent time since he refused to sign a contract in the summer, with the fans unhappy with his lack of commitment.

After a tough time leading up to Christmas, Beckford answered his critics in style by hitting five goals in three games, culminating in the famous goal that knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup and gave Leeds their first win at Old Trafford for 29 years. 

UPDATE: Leeds United have confirmed Jermaine Beckford’s transfer request and issued a statement saying that although Beckford has handed a transfer request in, he will only be allowed to move if it is in the best interests of the club. Explaining that;

“The best interests of Leeds United involve receiving both an acceptable transfer fee and securing a suitable replacement to ensure his departure does not have an adverse effect on the club’s overall aim of securing promotion back to the Coca-Cola Championship”

It’s also worth nothing that Beckford’s transfer request was handed in on December the 30th, before our historic FA Cup win at Old Trafford.

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Jermaine Beckford’s transfer out of Leeds now seems somewhat inevitable. For me, it’s simply a matter of time and a question of how much as Ken Bates digs his nails in and tries to ignite a bidding war.

So who do we get to replace him? TSS looks at our options.

Lee Barnard

Southend United, 25 years old.

As consistent as they come at League One level, Barnard has found the back of the net 35 times in his 73 appearances for Southend leaving him just short of the one in two mark.

Although there’s been no rumours linking Barnard to Leeds, he is a proven goal scorer and his contract expires in the summer, so it’s likely we could get him on the cheap (Ken Bates’ favourite word). Likelihood factor: 4 out of 10

Grant Holt

Norwich City, 28 years old.

A bit long in the tooth in comparison to other possible candidates, but Holt certainly has an eye for goal with 14 in the League and 20 in all competitions so far this season. No stranger to the transfer market after with Norwich being his eleventh professional club, Holt has seemingly never settled anywhere.

Only joined Norwich at the beginning of the season and is integral to their promotion push. Selling him would show a massive lack of ambition for a team chasing at our heels so this one for me, is extremely unlikely. Likelihood factor: 1 out of 10.

"You're the one that I want..." Gary Hooper

Gary Hooper

Scunthorpe United, 21 years old

At just 21 years old, Hooper has to be seen as a good signing given that he’s managed 31 goals in 62 games for Scunthorpe and could well develop and take the next step with Leeds United. Contracted until 2011, but with Scunthorpe a likely replacement for Leeds in League One next year, he may be interested in a move.

With his age and record to date, Hooper is my personal favourite, but any a sale would not go down well in Scunthorpe and do little to help their relegation battle. Likelihood factor: 5 out of 10

Billy Sharp

Sheffield United,  23 years old.

Out of favour at Sheffield United and currently on loan to Doncaster Rovers, where he’s found his form hitting 10 goals in 16 league appearances. Billy is from Yorkshire and proved himself to be a natural goal scoring talent at Scunthorpe where he knocked in 53 in 82 games, breaking club records in the process.

Sheffield United will undoubtedly be willing to sell, and I think Billy would be happy to stay local to his home town. At just 23 years of age he’s definitely in the right age group and should be able to take the next step up with Leeds United. Likelihood factor: 9 out of 10 (Heavy favourite)

What about Lambert?

I’m sure Rickie Lambert will be a talking point but we have absolutely no chance of getting him as far as I’m concerned. Southampton don’t need the money and are likely to make the play-offs, so there’s no reason for them to sell.

Anyway, I’ve opened a poll below for you to cast your vote.

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