Leeds not signing £15k-a-week star 'disappointing' at Elland Road

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·8 October 2023

Leeds not signing £15k-a-week star 'disappointing' at Elland Road

Highlights

Leeds United missed out on signing a £15,000 per-week earner during the summer transfer window at Elland Road.
Head coach Daniel Farke is tasked with achieving an immediate return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
The return of an injured star would be a crucial boost for the Whites' promotion bid.

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Leeds United’s failure to capture now-Southampton left-back Ryan Manning during the summer transfer window was disappointing at Elland Road, as JustJoe presenter Joe Wainman provides GIVEMESPORT with the name of another player he was concerned the club would miss out on.

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Head coach Daniel Farke hopes to guide the Whites to an immediate return to the Premier League this season.

Leeds transfer news – Ryan Manning

Early in the summer window, Leeds were taking stock following their relegation from the Premier League. After allowing ex-manager Sam Allardyce to leave after failing to keep the Whites in the top flight, the club confirmed Farke’s appointment, aiming to steer the side back to the promised land. The German head coach has pedigree in the Championship, winning the second-tier title with Norwich City on two occasions.

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, ex-Swansea City left-back Manning was on Farke’s shortlist during the summer transfer window. Meanwhile, Football League World confirmed in July that the Whites were interested in securing the defender, having left the Swans at the end of his contract in June.

And with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claiming that Junior Firpo would leave Leeds following relegation, a contract offer for Manning seemed imminent. However, it was Southampton who secured the 27-year-old’s future, where he has signed a reported £15,000 per-week contract after GIVEMESPORT revealed he was at Staplewood ahead of a move to St. Mary’s.

The failed transfer pursuit was a blow for Leeds, failing to sign a left-back for the remainder of the summer transfer market. However, the Whites have been boosted by Firpo remaining at Elland Road, having struggled to prove his fitness during the off-season.

Leeds welcomed nine new faces to the club during the recent window, including Swansea striker Joel Piroe for a fee rumoured to be over £10m and the club find themselves in a race to secure a place in the Championship play-offs come the end of the season.

However, last weekend, Leeds winger Dan James struggled to get the better of Manning, as the Saints secured a comfortable 3-1 victory when the two sides met at St. Mary's.

Leeds fans believed they were closer to signing Manning than they were – Joe Wainman

Wainman has suggested that Manning wasn’t as close to signing for Leeds as initially thought. The presenter also reveals he was concerned about the club’s chances of signing Piroe due to his connections with Southampton manager Russell Martin. He told GIVEMESPORT:

“I think Manning was the big one because we all got excited. We’d all seen the numbers that he produced last season. We all believed we were maybe closer than what we were to signing him. I thought, ‘This will be a great start to the window. We’re bringing in an exciting left-back with his goal contributions, etc. Look at his assists and goals.’ And then he went to one of our rivals for the league, I would say, especially before the season started anyway. You're looking at the three relegated clubs. “So, for Southampton to get him, I felt like it was a bit of a coup. And then that made me worry about Piroe because of the Martin links and stuff. So, I think the one we were most disappointed by that we were linked to would have been Ryan Manning. But maybe we didn’t miss out too much, having seen how it's going currently.”

Leeds injury news – Junior Firpo

With Leeds lacking in the left-back department, Firpo’s return from injury would be a massive boost for Farke’s side’s chances of promotion. The German head coach has revealed that the former Barcelona star could return after the season’s second international break.

The Whites travel to Farke’s old side, Norwich, on 21st October before heading to Staffordshire to face Stoke City on 25th October. If Firpo can’t make the double-header of away trips, he’ll aim to be fit for a Yorkshire derby when Huddersfield Town are the visitors at Elland Road on 28th October, as Leeds round off the month.

It remains to be seen if Leeds will move in the market for another left-back addition at Elland Road. Whilst Firpo remains at the club, his future is uncertain come the winter transfer market, and he could look to move to a top-flight league elsewhere in Europe.

Brazilian journalist Diego Firmino (via LeedsLive) Leeds were interested in a move for Palmeiras and Uruguay left-back Joaquin Piquerez during the summer transfer window. A switch for the South American never materialised, but the Whites could dip back into the market in 2024. However, Leeds’ primary focus is on garnering enough points to throw themselves into the Championship promotion mix come the end of the season.