Premier Rock Forum

jongoodwin wrote:Great stuff.

tommydski wrote:
Alan Thompson - first team, injured
Jonathan Douglas - first team, injured
Seb Carole - bit crap
David Prutton - disappointment
Ian Westlake - crap last season, could do with being sold
Johnny Howson - young
Neil Killkenny - "very Batty" was the description I was given
Bradley Johnson - we'll see
Pete Sweeney - we'll see
Andy Hughes - is he on loan? I can't remember
Curtis Weston - reserve
Shaun Derry - staying at Palace where he belongs
Filipe da Costa - Ronaldo without the crying... or the ability (so far)

Hey, Dennis Wise! How about a left back? You notice how we're shit without a natural left back? Why not sign a left back? It's like a midfielder but he plays in defence. On the left. Jamie Clapham was pretty fucking good at it. Is he coming back or what? Why not ask Mr. Bates for one more splurge before the window closes? Remember the key words are "left" and "back".

But Wise may be creeping closer to the signing of Walsall left-back Daniel Fox, who has lodged
an official transfer request at the Bescot Stadium.

Leeds have already offered £250,000 for the full-back, a sum which was immediately turned down by Walsall, but Fox is out of contract in the summer and has refused new terms presented to him by the club.

Fox, 21, is keen to move to Elland Road, and his decision to demand a transfer has been seen as a deliberate attempt to force the issue. But Walsall are determined to retain him until the summer, when a tribunal would set the price of his departure, and sources in the West Midlands suggest interest among rivals clubs may drag Leeds into a bidding war if Wise seeks to secure Fox before the end of the month.

Leeds could still return to Wolves for permission to sign Jamie Clapham if their chase of Fox comes to nothing, while the Elland Road side are also understood to have cast on eye over young Rochdale left-back Tom Kennedy.

Argentinians to beef up Leeds United

By Phil Hay

Leeds United are poised to link up with Argentinian club San Lorenzo in a deal which could see a host of South American players turning out at Elland Road.

United have been in negotiations over a long-term connection with San Lorenzo, and the trail of stars making their way to Yorkshire will begin with the arrival of two defenders at Thorp Arch next week.

Argentina international Jonathan Bottinelli and Under-20 international Nicolas Bianchi have been lined up for short trials with Leeds, and it is understood that the pair will be offered deals until December if they impress manager Dennis Wise.

Bottinelli is a 23-year-old left-back who made his international debut for Argentina in April of last year, while Bianchi is a central defender at the start of his career. Bianchi turns 21 on January 28 and has appeared on 29 occasions for San Lorenzo.

The club compete in Argentina's Premier League, a
nd the country's domestic season runs for most of the year.

The 2008 campaign does not kick off until the beginning of next month, giving United time to assess Bottinelli and Bianchi, and the deals which both players are in line to receive at Elland Road would run until shortly before the start of the 2009 Argentinian term.

The link-up should allow Leeds to take advantage in the future of other players in San Lorenzo's ranks, and the South American club are also expected to use the deal to fly their junior prospects to Leeds for the experience of training with a professional English outfit. It is unlikely, however, that any of United's academy players will be sent over there.

The deal with San Lorenzo is understood to have been suggested via United chairman Ken Bates' contacts in Monaco, and Wise will have his first chance to run the rule over Bianchi and Bottinelli next week.

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Last Updated: 04 January 2008 9:27 AM