Here are the evening headlines for Leeds United on Thursday December 31, 2020.
Bamford on Poveda turnaround
Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford has said that support from his teammates has helped Ian Poveda turn around his career at the club.
The winger arrived at Elland Road last January but was made to wait for his debut, not making an appearance until coming on as a second-half substitute vs Cardiff in June.
He made a total of four appearances last season, and although he is not a regular now, he had made eight appearances in the Premier League, carving a reputation as an effective impact sub.
"Ian Poveda, to be fair for him at the start, the start of this season he was turning up late because I think he lived in Manchester and was struggling with the traffic and stuff," Bamford told Leeds United's official podcast.
But the lads kind of got their arm around him and said if you want to break into the team you've got to change that.
"To be fair, he listened. He's a good young lad. Believe it or not there's times where you come in at 7.30am or the fitness staff will be in at 7.30am and Ian would be out on the pitch already, doing stuff on his own.”
Bielsa’s January transfer update
Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa has said that he may look to add to his squad when the January transfer window opens in just a matter of hours.
The Whites spent around £100 million last summer as they built a squad able to compete in the Premier League.
But will they be adding further to their squad in the mid-season window?
"I can't give you a firm answer, I can't say yes or no," said Bielsa.
"If there's a player that clearly improves the squad then obviously that would be good for the club.
"The option to bring a great player to the club sometimes depends on the needs of the team, but sometimes opportunities arise.
"In this sense, Victor Orta has a way of working which usually benefits the team."
Leeds interested in World Cup winner
Leeds United are one of a number of clubs showing an interest in Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Julian Draxler, according to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport (via TeamTalk ).
The German international has just six months remaining on his contract with the French giants, meaning that from January 1 he is able to negotiate a pre-contract with any international club, including clubs from the Premier League.
Leeds were said to be interested in a summer move for the midfielder last summer but were unable to complete a deal.
It now seems that they could reignite their interest, although they are said to face plenty of competition for the player with Inter Milan AC Milan, and Hertha Berlin all linked with a move for the 27-year-old.
