00:00Hello from Germany where Leeds United have kicked off their preseason training camp at a secret
00:15location. We're not able to tell you where it is because the German authorities didn't want
00:20Leeds fans here. Again for the second time in a row, second summer in a row, Leeds United will
00:26play their two preseason games here behind closed doors. The first will take place on Tuesday. It'll
00:32be a game comprised of two 60-minute periods. It would be no surprise to see two completely different
00:38teams for those 60-minute periods and then they'll play again on Saturday. German lower league
00:44opposition on Tuesday. We'll be there to report and we'll be able to let you know what happened but
00:49we are working under an embargo so it'll be a little while after the game is finished but there
00:54will be no supporters which again is a massive shame for Leeds United and some missed revenue
00:59because they could have sold a lot of tickets for those games. We managed to go to training at the
01:04team's camp today to get a glimpse into what Daniel Farca has them doing. We also saw who was there
01:09and who was not there. Anton Stark was nowhere to be seen but he will be joining the squad this week.
01:17His arrival is imminent. The deal is in the closing stages. It was at the medical stage this morning
01:22when we arrived. The good thing about Leeds being where they are is that there are lots of football
01:26clubs and lots of medical facilities that they can take advantage of so they should be able to get
01:32that one over the line. Six foot four central midfielder get him involved in training this week
01:37and we might even see him involved at the weekend. Brendan Aronson's not here and that's because he was
01:43involved in the gold cup with the U.S. men's national team this summer so he got two extra weeks off
01:48and he's due to fly in on Tuesday. Matteo Joseph is also not here and it's not yet certain when he
01:57will arrive. On Saturday we asked Daniel Farca about Joseph's whereabouts. Lots and lots of
02:03transfer talk around him this summer. Real Betis obviously very very keen. They haven't been able
02:08to get a deal done for him but they're still thought to be very keen on him. Farca said that he
02:12didn't feel ready for games yet which appeared very much to come from the player himself and it
02:18contrasted quite starkly with Farca saying that Willian Yanto was also involved in that
02:22under-21s European Championship this summer but was desperate to be involved against Man United and
02:27came back really sharp. So we'll have to wait and see as to what happens with Matteo Joseph.
02:32It does feel like Leeds United have been pretty consistent all summer that he's not for sale
02:37but you just wonder if maybe a loan would be best for all parties because in that way
02:43Leeds United retain the player. If he goes away and scores a load of goals maybe in La Liga or
02:48maybe somewhere else then his value shoots up and then next summer they could be looking at a more
02:52advantageous situation or alternatively they keep the player. You know young player with a lot of
02:57potential but the pathway to first team football seems to be getting harder this summer rather than
03:04easier. So he's not here at the minute either and we'll have to wait and see when he arrives. In
03:10terms of what we saw at training it was mostly football focused. They did quite a lot of fitness
03:15work. It looked like a tough and intense session but the intensity came mostly in the form of small
03:19sided games. Lots and lots of football. Lots of passing drills before that and then a small sided
03:25game with four mini goals. A team with a numerical advantage played against a team playing an
03:31under load and the rules were different for each team. The team with a numerical advantage had to
03:35pass the ball seven times before they could shoot and the team with the playing an under load they had
03:40to win the ball back and could shoot instantly. But what stands out in pre-season training is just how
03:47unbelievably competitive it is. Just how fiercely they can test everything even if it's just a small
03:52sided game. The disputes over handball decisions, the disputes over the ball going out, the claims for
03:58fouls. When they moved to the final set of several four minute small sided games there was one moment
04:06where Jadon Bogle not made largely Ramazani to go clean through and goal and Ramazani simply grabbed
04:11him by the bib and hauled him to the turf and then kicked the ball at him in frustration. They do not like
04:16to lose at anything. Also very noticeable how vocal Ethan Ampadu is. We knew that from last season and Joe
04:23Rodon as well and just how much they let the coaches know about it when they disagree about a decision.
04:28But several players stood out as looking particularly sharp. Bogle I thought carried on exactly where he
04:34left off against Manchester United. I thought he looked really, really sharp. Getting forward,
04:39attacking, finishing, beating players. Jacob Bial showed a really nice knack for finishing. Used his body
04:47shape to deceive Elan Mellier. And Mellier came up with some unbelievable saves. He made one incredible
04:53save from Largie Ramazani. Carl Darlow made a really spectacular one from Dan James. Dan James again
04:59competing in the air surprisingly well. Sean Longstaff getting forward and showing an eye for goal.
05:05That's something that will be key for Leeds as they put together the last bits of recruitment is where the
05:09goals are going to come from. Because you can see from the team that they're putting together that
05:14they're going to be difficult to play against, difficult to beat. They're going to be a little
05:17bit more compact, I would say, than they were last season. They certainly won't play with reckless
05:22abandon in the Premier League, but they are going to have to convert chances when they get them.
05:27To that end, they still think that Igor Paxao is a possibility. The Feyenoord winger, Brazilian,
05:33there are obvious shades and comparisons to be drawn with a former Leeds United player. And Leeds have
05:39been pushing the Rafinha story in some of their recruitment work this summer to say,
05:44look at this player, came to us, spent two years, went on to great things. Leeds played a big part in
05:51his development. They still think that there's a deal to be made with Feyenoord, that it's not a
05:56foregone conclusion with Marseille, despite those reports that appear to emanate from the French club
06:01at the weekend. So it's one to wait and see. But Leeds certainly feel that he's a player worth keeping the
06:05door open for, for now at least. And we're waiting on more updates on that one. There's the goalkeeper
06:12situation to resolve as well, which has taken a little bit longer. But club sources say that Daniel
06:17Farke is more content to have the goalkeeper arrive later than some of the other players whose tactical
06:23adaptation would be seen as more vital, more pertinent than a goalkeeper. And then, you know,
06:29you've got the left winger, you've got a striker, they still think that they might be able to do some
06:32business with Fulham for Muniz. But that may well depend on Fulham getting a replacement in.
06:38Fulham are known to be in the market for a striker. The plan for the rest of the week is this game
06:44tomorrow against German lower tier opposition, 260 minutes. Then they'll continue to train at their
06:50base. And then on Saturday, they'll play the final game of this trip. Then back home to Elland Road for
06:55Villarreal and then off to Dublin for what will be a spectacular weekend when they take on AC Milan.
07:01The YP will be at all of those games. We'll have all the usual player ratings, match reports.
07:06We'll be speaking to Daniel Farke, asking him for the latest on various situations, both incoming
07:11and outgoing. And at some point this week, we're very likely to see a giant midfielder pull on a Leeds
07:17United Strip.
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