Your latest Leeds United morning headlines for Wednesday, June 29.
Mills questions ‘bizarre’ player sales
Former Leeds United man Danny Mills has labelled the club’s reported deals for Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha as ‘bizarre’ and admitted his worry at the departure of two key players.
Reports last week claimed Manchester City had agreed a fee for midfield lynchpin Phillips, believed to be an initial £42million, while Chelsea look to have secured a £55million fee for the sale of Raphinha. Neither deal has been completed yet, but ex-England international Mills has explained how the Whites have missed a trick in their negotiations for the Brazilian, adding the two prized assets will take some replacing.
“Everyone knows that Raphinha wants to go, I don’t think that’s in question. And he will go, it’s just a question of when? To who? And for how much?” Mills told TalkSPORT. “You would think that three teams coming in for him would make it a bit of an auction and they’d put the price up a little bit.
READ MORE: Leeds United take a front-row seat as Chelsea shake dithering Barcelona and test Raphinha's dream
“When Leeds were adamant in the January transfer window, when there was false-ish speculation that West Ham were in for Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, Leeds went ‘no, nothing under £60million’. They’ve now let Kalvin Phillips go for £42million, which I find bizarre, and then they’re going to let Raphinha go for £55million.
“Okay, you’ve got £90million in, but you’ve let your best two players leave the football club and also, over the last two seasons, two of the most influential players. Kalvin Phillips, the glue that holds your team together and has been sensational… and there was a gaping chasm in the middle of the park when Kalvin wasn’t playing, he’s gone and you have to replace him.
“And last year, your main goal threat. Obviously Patrick Bamford was out for the whole season, hoping he's going to come back this year but you never know after all those injuries. So some massive, massive holes to fill for Leeds.”
Cresswell weighing up Millwall move
Whites defender Charlie Cresswell will be waiting up a host of loan options over the coming weeks as he looks set for a season away from Elland Road.
The 19-year-old made just five Premier League appearances last season and is fifth choice centre-back at the club, but his quality and maturity set him apart from a return to Premier League 2 football - especially in the second division after last season’s relegation.
The philosophy for developing fringe players has changed under Jesse Marsch, and now players who are unlikely to pick up regular minutes can decide on a loan move in order to increase their minutes.
Now Millwall have approached the England under-21 international about a season at the Den, and Cresswell will weigh up a move to London with interest from several other Championship clubs over the summer.
Full pre-season released
Leeds have finalised their full pre-season schedule with the announcement of two games - against Blackpool and Cagliari - to bookend the Australis tour, with the Whites now playing five games between now and the start of the 2022/2023 Premier League campaign.
The club will play the Tangerines at the LNER Community Stadium on Thursday, July 7, before a trip to Australia and three games in eight days against Brisbane Roar, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
They will then host Cagliari at Elland Road on Sunday, July 31 - just one week before the opener against Wolves on Saturday, August 6.
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