Manchester Evening News producer Conor McGilligan has urged Leeds United’s senior hierarchy to work better together.
Despite narrowly avoiding relegation at the end of last season, the Whites, led by former RB Leipzig manager Jesse Marsch, will know that important work must be done during the summer transfer window in order to avoid repeating their failings from the 2021-22 campaign.
In desperate need of a new striker to provide cover and competition for the injury-stricken Patrick Bamford, this summer transfer window is certain to see the Yorkshire-based club target at least one new attacker.
One player who has been heavily linked with a move back to Elland Road is Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah.
Having enjoyed a loan spell with the club back in 2020, Nketiah, who is soon-to-be out of contract with the Gunners, has been tipped to re-join the Whites on a permanent deal (Sky Sports).
A report in 2019 from The Athletic suggested that sporting director Victor Orta was the main driving force behind Nketiah’s decision to join Leeds United and now Manchester Evening News’ McGilligan believes the Spaniard is trying to replicate his work from three years ago.
However, with Marsch having strong connections and knowledge of the German market, it makes sense for the American tactician to pursue targets he has a better understanding of.
Clearly operating with two different visions, McGilligan feels the club’s decision-makers are not pulling in the same direction.
“It stinks of Victor Orta,” McGilligan told One Leeds Fan YouTube Channel.
“It’s like, ‘oh, we’ve had him [Nketiah] before. Let’s go and get him again. I beat 18 clubs to his signature initially. So let’s go in for him again’.
“I just want there to be a bit of synergy between the director of football and Jesse Marsch, because it seems a lot of the Red Bull network links are obviously via Jesse Marsch, but it seems like an Eddie Nketiah link would literally just be Victor Orta.
“So there needs to be a little bit of cohesion between those two, a bit of a partnership, which there never really was with [Marcelo] Bielsa, I thought.”
Where do you see Nketiah playing his football next season? – Let us know in the comments.