As Jesse Marsch pulls up at Thorp Arch this morning to begin Leeds United’s latest day of training, he will, first, breathe a sigh of relief he no longer has to dodge the transfer-shaped elephant in every press conference he negotiates. Then, he can reflect on the arsenal of weapons he has at his disposal for the second half of the season as they trot out onto the pitches to get to work.
As was clear with the recent appointment of his long-time confidant Chris Armas, Marsch could not have asked for more support or backing from the Elland Road hierarchy in January. Andrea Radrizzani and 49ers Enterprises have put their money where their mouth is and given the head coach everything they can to stay in the Premier League come May.
The left side of defence was addressed, in a fashion, the club’s transfer record was broken to secure top-level competition for Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford before the unexpected, but entirely welcome, addition of a Mateusz Klich replacement worth more than £30m in the summer. To then hang onto Jack Harrison through last night’s 11pm deadline when many had accepted the squad could cope with his exit, only crushes a couple more potential excuses down the line.
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It’s over to Marsch, the coaching staff and the squad now. There can be no fingers pointed at the directors’ box with complaints about recruitment or investment if the league position slumps down the home stretch.
Off the field, Leeds have done what they needed to in January. It’s now a case of doing what they need to on the field through February, March, April and May. Marsch can only feel emboldened in his vision moving forward in the knowledge he has the full support of his employer.
For a club which has for the past few years made a point of stressing why January is a dire time to do business, Leeds could not have broken with tradition in a more emphatic way. Money has been committed, weaknesses have been addressed with quality and there was even some time to trim away a little fat.
The underused youth talents, Cody Drameh and Joe Gelhardt, have been bailed out of Premier League 2 servitude with meaningful loans that push them. Even the sad farewell of Klich was qualified with the net gain of Weston McKennie, a Champions League midfielder better suited to Marsch’s midfield three too.
Diego Llorente’s exit may leave the defence a little understaffed if two or three injuries hit at the same time, but the opportunity to move on an inconsistent performer for, what will be, virtually the same value originally spent on him 28 months earlier cannot be passed up. Terrace confidence in the Spaniard was abandoned at Brentford in September, making this outgoing the cherry on an extravagantly iced cake.
The window just kept getting better for the support, all the way up to and beyond last night’s deadline. Taught by years of pain and suffering to never expect unadulterated joy, many might have expected Harrison’s exit to be the sacrifice for such a positive month of business.
While there was never any indication Harrison would have to leave if McKennie was secured, his dwindling contract length, slide down the pecking order and lengthening list of wealthy suitors tallied up with a departure. The interest remained on deadline day and Leeds were open to selling for the right offer, make no mistake, but this was not a fire sale.
In retaining Harrison, Leeds keep a dependable, rarely injured attacking option who can, on his best days, tear up top-flight defences. Marsch has an embarrassment of riches in the forward line and it’s on him to guide that firepower up the division.
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