Here are the Leeds United morning headlines for Wednesday, July 29.
Stoke boss aims to emulate ‘exceptional’ Leeds success
Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill has pinpointed one area in which Leeds were particularly good during their promotion-winning campaign.
The Potters boss took particular notice of how effectively Marcelo Bielsa’s men used throw-ins during their 5-0 demolition of his side during the final run-in.
He said it’s an example of the marginal gains a team can have over others, suggesting his own side need to improve in such areas.
“We worked quite hard on throw-ins. We’re not quite where we want to be,” he told Stoke-on-Trent Live
“When you look at the really good teams in the Premier League, they’re very good in these areas. Leeds are very good in these areas, particularly throw-ins – Leeds are exceptionally good.
“It’s just reinforcing that message to the players. Players sometimes don’t recognise the importance of these parts of the game but it’s where you get all the small gains in these areas that can be the difference between winning and losing.”
Dallas reveals motivation behind brilliant Leeds season
Social media critics drove Stuart Dallas on to become a better player, the Northern Ireland international has revealed.
The 29-year-old utility man was a key man for Bielsa in the Championship-topping campaign, filling in a variety of positions and starting all but one game, eventually establishing himself as the first-choice left-back.
He played more than twice as many minutes as in the season before, making nearly four times as many starts.
"You get things said, 'you're not good enough in a Championship-winning side'. That drives me on," Dallas told the BBC.
"You're there to be shot down. It's not something to complain about.
"It comes from the world of social media where you can't please everybody."
Leeds hold talks with Benfica ace Florentino Luis
According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Leeds are interested in signing £25million-rated Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis and have held talks with his agent.
AC Milan have long been interested in the 20-year-old rising star, but could face competition from the newly-promoted Whites, with chairman Andrea Radrizzani tipping the club to break their transfer record this window - which still stands at £23million for Rio Ferdinand back in 2000.
Luis has represented Portugal at under-20 level and is one of the country’s most highly-rated young prospects. It’s said that Benfica are holding out for between €20m and €30m for the player.
