Leeds United’s Marcelo Bielsa: Looking for ‘one more’ player to bring in on loan

There has been a lot of speculation as to if Leeds United were finished in the transfer window, with very few players coming in on permanent deals while a number of players have departed.

The new manager, Marcelo Bielsa, has said before that he’s not a fan of a large playing squad, despite the number of fixtures in the Championship season along with two cup competitions, but fans and pundits have been worried about a lack of depth in key areas, such as central defence and in central midfield. Ronaldo Vieira was sold to Sampdoria for a large fee despite Adam Forshaw being injured, leaving only Matuesz Klich and Kalvin Phillips as the only central midfielders on the roster who have been expected to get playing time.

When asked about the status of any new transfers, Bielsa said today in the press conference that the club is looking to add another player before the loan deadline on 31 August.

Leeds have been linked with a return for Everton loanee Matthew Pennington, something that became more likely after Everton went out and landed a few central defenders in the last few hours of the transfer window, adding Colombia World Cup star Yerry Mina from Barcelona and Kurt Zouma on loan from Chelsea.

Additionally, Leeds have been linked with a number of players from Manchester City, but those links have cooled, with most of the names going elsewhere after former New York City FC star Jack Harrison came to Elland Road on loan.

Could Leeds be in for a loan for a central midfielder then? Bielsa has said he’s happy with his depth at central defence, with players such as Gaetano Berardi and Kalvin Phillips, players not typically known as central defenders, being mentioned as players who could play a role in a back three.

A number of options for a new central midfielder have been mentioned, but nothing solid has really come out of any of the names mentioned, so perhaps another surprise name will be revealed in the next two weeks.