Here are your Leeds United evening headlines for Friday, October 23.
49ers president outlines Leeds plans
Paraag Marathe, who is the president of the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers, has unveiled his ambitions ahead of a planned investment in Leeds.
Their current stake is around 10%, but Marathe is in discussions to increase it. And in an interview with the Telegraph, he paid tribute to the passion of Leeds supporters and stated his belief that Leeds can consistently qualify for Europe.
“Leeds had fallen so far and so hard, down to the second and then the third division, yet the fans had shown such tremendous passion - I had never seen anything like it,” he said.
“It looked like one of those dormant brands you look at and wonder what is possible. I see a similar trajectory of improvement for Leeds as we had at the 49ers. Success hasn’t been achieved yet, this promotion is just the first step on the journey.
“Now we need to make sure they are sustainably competitive in the Premier League. We can help the club stay there and to compete to qualify for the European competitions. That’s the goal.”
McGinn pays Leeds highest compliment
Ahead of Aston Villa’s match against Leeds on Friday night, midfielder John McGinn discussed the form of the newcomers, stating that he expects the contest to be one of the more difficult outings of the season.
“I think I speak for most Premier League teams when I say that Leeds is one of the most difficult fixtures on the calendar,” he said.
“You need a couple of days off after you’ve played them, but hopefully they’ll be tired from their game against Wolves.”
Villa enter the match as the only team with a 100% record this campaign. They have already dispatched Liverpool and Leicester City and pose a tremendous challenge to Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
Michael Brown reacts to Kalvin Phillips decision
After suffering a shoulder injury in the closing stages of last weekend’s loss to Wolves, Kalvin Phillips is set to miss up to six weeks, though, per the Athletic, he could return as soon as next month’s match against Arsenal, which is currently scheduled for November 21.
This week, Bielsa named Pascal Struijk as the man who would replace Phillips in the meantime, starting on Friday against Villa.
Michael Brown believes this is a “big call.”
“So he did come out and say it in his presser – well, a big call,” he told Football Insider. “What’s great about Bielsa is he tells you straight away, tells you what’s happening. As a player, it gives you the faith.
“He’s backed him and who are we to dare question?”
