It’s Bielsa Day for excited Leeds United fans, the day that fans of the Whites finally get what they have been pleading for for a long time – a ‘name’ manager.
Recent appointments at Elland Road have been largely of the ‘Who is he?’ and ‘What the F***!’ variety – albeit with the exception of Garry Monk. It was under Monk that United enjoyed their highest placing of recent years – a 7th place in 2016/17.
But it is under Bielsa that Leeds United will play out what will no doubt be an interesting campaign between early August 2018 and early May 2019. The Argentine coaching guru will bring his particular brand of high-octane, high-pressing football to Elland Road.
It will come part-and-parcel with his entire footballing philosophy and backroom staff. It is a philosophy and ethos that will require changes and fine-tuning at Elland Road, with new signings a given. Names have been bandied around, and these are names of some profile.
The Whites are being linked with the likes of soon-to-be free agent striker Abel Hernandez, Derby County hotshot Matej Vydra and Manchester City stopper Angus Gunn. But it is another player and issue that has caused Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay to comment on Twitter.
certainly hope so 😂 just waiting for deals to drop now. Been writing about Hernandez/Gunn/Stockdale/Vydra for weeks
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) June 23, 2018
After replying the above question about upcoming signings, Hay responded with a list of “deals to drop”, adding Birmingham City keeper David Stockdale to the list of three mentioned above.
This caused another Leeds fan (below) to comment about Kyle Bartley, transfer interest that Hay himself broke a while back.
Phil why isn’t Bartley included in your list ?? Isn’t he coming ?? 😩😩
— Jordan Jones (@jordanmush88) June 23, 2018
Hay’s retort was to apologise for what he called an “oversight” with the following tweet.
sorry, oversight. Slow with that one though. Swansea likely to lose other centre-backs (like Mawson) so a lot needs sorted out down there
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) June 23, 2018
It is the meat of his reply that is of importance, not the apology for omitting Bartley as an oversight on his behalf. Hay points out that one obstacle that could very well scupper a move for Leeds United’s former loanee is the fact that Swansea are a side in transition themselves.
Relegated from the Premier League last season, a new manager at the helm like Leeds, the Welsh side are likely to be shedding players. Hay points this out, saying that they are “likely to lose other centre backs (like Mawson)”, a scenario that would not benefit Leeds United’s interest in Bartley.
The former Arsenal youth player, a side he shared with Leeds’ current right-back Luke Ayling, has proven himself at Championship level during his season-long loan in West Yorkshire. It was his form across the 2016/17 campaign that forced Swansea’s hand in granting him a new deal.
However, should the Swans be letting players the calibre of Alfie Mawson leave, then it would make sense that they keep someone like Kyle Bartley. In that case, it would be Swansea’s gain and definitely Leeds United fans’ loss.