With only a few more days to go until the end of the transfer window, now would be a good time to assess Leeds’ activity this January.
So far Leeds have acquired the services of two new players, one fairly more known than the other, and have lost the services of three, for now.
Although it would be hard to fully assess the impact of these players would really have, here are my thoughts of what we may have gained and/or lost.
Each player includes thoughts from other fans, with some opinions I have gained from Twitter.
IN – Granddi N’Goyi
I have said previously that to me, N’Goyi does not seem like the type of player we need right now, especially considering he has only made five substitute appearances this season, totalling a whopping 71 minutes for Palermo in Serie A. However, this is a newly promoted side, punching well above their weight and currently sitting at 8th in the table. If it’s working, why would they change it?
N’Goyi’s last game was back near the end of November, in which he played only a minute or so as a substitute, so he is clearly missing some match fitness this season, but that is nothing 3 or 4 games in the development squad can’t fix until he is called up to the substitutes bench. With rumours of Cardiff City being interested in our current muscle-man in midfield, Rudy Austin, the loan-signing (with option to buy at the end of the season between £1.5m-£2m) of N’Goyi seems more obvious in why his services may be required.
As a tall, 6’1, centre-defensive midfielder, it would appear that he has been brought in as a ball winner, to then feed our more technically gifted players when necessary. He has also recently played in a promotion winning squad, winning promotion from Serie B with Palermo last season, but at 26 years old and little more than 150 games, it seems he is yet to find his place in football and settle. Hopefully we can be that place. Redfearn will need to be careful with N’Goyi. We are too far down the table to throw in an in-experienced player, so some time to adapt is greatly needed. If dealt with carefully, N’Goyi’s apparent power and height may be what we need at the heart of our midfield. Time will tell.
Here is a YouTube video of N’Goyi, courtesy of ‘U.S. Citta di Palermo’
Fan Thoughts:
@SlothRightNow not heard of him but he’s a decent sized bloke, might be the defensive presence we’ve missed in midfield, time will tell
— James McCarthy (@bigmacca199) January 28, 2015
@SlothRightNow he adds height, as does bamba so we’d be a threat from set pieces. He’s perfect for the 4-3-2-1 formation as a holding mid
— Luke Hollick (@Hollicklufc) January 28, 2015
@SlothRightNow depends when we play him. Month in reserves for me. Time to get slightly used to pace and physical nature. — dean robot wheeler (@deancore) January 28, 2015
IN – Sol Bamba
An experienced, 30 year old, 6’3 centre-back with who has played in both Scotland and the Championship. Sounds perfect, right? Well, I wouldn’t say perfect, but I am fairly happy with this signing, despite a few concerns I may have. Bamba has only featured once this season, playing 90 minutes in the middle of a three-man defence against Napoli, drawing 3-3.
This appearance was all the back in September. That’s my main concern. He has not featured at all in 4 months. Now, same as N’Goyi, if it isn’t broken, why fix it? Plus, I believe Bamba was injured for a few weeks at the end of October, which would have acted to push him even further away from a successful Palermo side.
However, despite this Bamba has great experience on his side. He has featured over 100 times in Scotland and played 55 times for Leicester. When you partner this with his 44 caps for Ivory Coast, he seems like the type of player we need. He will bag a few goals a season too it seems, with 8 goals during his time in England and Scotland. My other concern, however, is that he loves a yellow card.
In fact, I think he has 6 yellow cards in his last 16 games. Not a statistic that reads well with the likes of Bellusci and Berardi also featuring for Leeds. So, for me, Bamba will be a replacement for Pearce (linked with a move away to Wigan), and is interchangeable with Bellusci, with Cooper remaining a permanent figure in our defence.
It is also worth mentioning that last season, whilst at Trabzonspor, Bamba gained Europa League experience, featuring five times in Europe last season. Like N’Goyi, Bamba is a loan signing, with an option to purchase permanently at the end of the season.
Here are some highlights I found on YouTube, courtesy of ‘EmlakMania Emlak’.
Fan Thoughts:
@SlothRightNow same as any player, give them a chance to show if they have anything. Can’t judge until they’ve trodden the hallowed turf. — Ruby (@RubesN11) January 28, 2015
@bigmacca199 @SlothRightNow the idea.of him partnering bellusci. Trying to.outdo eqch other in challenges edge of area fills me with dread — #PRO LEEDS (@milkybar39) January 28, 2015
@SlothRightNow quite happy, seems to fit the bill even if he may turn out to be nothing more than a cost cutting exercise — Dan (@adrydan_) January 28, 2015
OUT – Nicky Ajose
A new signing in the summer of 2014, for a fee of around £150k, Ajose featured only four times for Leeds, one of which was as a substitute. Said to be a ‘Hockaday Signing’, Ajose fell completely out of favour once Dave was sacked, finding himself left out of match day squads until Crewe Alexandra approached to loan his services until January.
Since then, he appears to have settled, warranting a loan extension until the end of the season. Since being at Crewe, Ajose has featured a total of 8 times, scoring 5 and gaining 1 assist.
At only 5’8, there is little that Ajose could offer in physical presence, but his pace seems like an exciting asset and at only 23 years old, he could still have a bright future ahead of him. However, it is unclear and probably unlikely that Ajose will be returning to Elland Road in the future.
To keep up with the YouTube theme, here is Ajose’s brace against Oldham, courtesy of ‘Crewe Alexandra’.
Fan Thoughts:
@SlothRightNow Stupid signing in the first place.
— Fergal Mc Phillips (@FergalMcP1) January 28, 2015
@SlothRightNow should have been given more of a chance with us.
— Steve C (@Yorkie6013) January 28, 2015
@SlothRightNow we are lacking in genuine pace and he would give that – Id definitely have had him back in Jan — Dan (@adrydan_) January 28, 2015
OUT – Noel Hunt
Where to start. 20+ games for Leeds without a single goal to show for his efforts. A lowly two appearances this season for us, one of which was off of the bench. Hunt never really settled at Leeds, although he was a firm favourite amongst the squad and his help within the development squad will be greatly missed.
Hunt was rescued from our development squad by Ipswich, where he was to join his brother. Since moving, he has had his contract terminated by Leeds, despite playing 7 times for Ipswich (5 of which were as a substitute), scoring 3 goals and creating 1. He seems to have found his place, where he is actually bagging a goal every 85 minutes.
At 32 years old, however, it is true that he probably had little or no future at Leeds, so I am glad he has found somewhere where he can settle and possibly see out his career.
It is a win/win situation for both Hunt and Leeds, as he was a fairly high earner, so having him off of the wage bill will certainly help this clubs dire financial situation in some respect.
Here you go, enjoy watching something you never saw Hunt do at Leeds, score. Here is his brace against Millwall, courtesy of ‘Ipswich Town FC’.
Fan Thoughts:
@SlothRightNow he was on big wages for someone with who didn’t get near to the first team, his confidence deteriorated because of the stick — James Beck (@JamesBeck_14) January 28, 2015
@bennytaylor1984 @SlothRightNow reminded me of Andy Hughes, as in he offered more than just on the pitch. Good bloke, shame it didn’t work — Daz Midge (@omicdaz) January 28, 2015
@SlothRightNow unfortunately never settled at leeds, decent bloke but wasn’t going to get a chance. Wage off the bill good for FFP
— James McCarthy (@bigmacca199) January 28, 2015
OUT – Stephen Warnock
At 33 years old, Warnock may have appeared to be on his last legs, and in many games he probably was, but this season he has really stepped up his game and has often been labelled ‘Mr Consistent’ for us.
In his 22 appearances for us, Warnock bagged himself a goal whilst creating a further three. Not bad for an ageing fullback, with no winger to support him on the left.
His efforts this season had earned him the captaincy for a total of seven games, before gaining an injury away against Derby early on. The second time he was subbed off for an injury in his last four games. This injury then kept him out of the squad for the final three games Leeds played whilst Warnock was there, before he was snapped up by promotion hopefuls Derby County.
He is yet to play for Derby, despite appearing on their substitute bench for two games. My main concern is the loss of his experience. We have signed two players with 161 minutes between them this season, whilst letting Warnock go, a player with over 1800 minutes played this season.
Anyway, remember his freekick away at Yeovil? Well, here you go, courtesy of ‘Aidan Northgreaves’.
Fan Thoughts:
@SlothRightNow We have decreasing income with rocketing expenditure expect more to leave in summer to raise funds
— Gary Darren (@ravadarren) January 28, 2015
@SlothRightNow Probably wouldnt have sold him but #LUFC unbeaten since.
— Rob Wells #LUFC (@robwells1976) January 28, 2015
@SlothRightNow stupid actions from a stingy ownership structure
— Dan (@adrydan_) January 28, 2015
Bamba certainly like a game of football. Brilliant skill and composure! Love his style and attitude. Let’s see what he can do, eh!
Don’t write him off. He is developing and at some speed!