Here are the evening Leeds United headlines on Monday, August 2.
Matheus Pereira hits back
Earlier today we brought you West Brom head coach Valerien Ismael's comments on Matheus Pereira, as he claimed that the playmaker was 'not committed' to the club following recent speculation linking him with a move away.
Leeds United have been one club to be linked with the Brazilian, who has hit back at Ismael's comments in a lengthy statement on social media, which claims he has received a 'life changing' offer and re-iterates his desire to leave.
“I remained silent and was not going to address anything until after the transfer window out of respect for the fans and my teammates, however after being called ‘not committed’ I felt extremely disrespected as a professional, " he writes.
"I’ve been living off football since I was 12 years old, I chose to give up family time and ordinary fun to chase after a dream of a better future for myself and those around me.
“No one has ever seen an interview in which I bad mouthed the club, or anyone associated with the club, or even that I wanted to leave the club by any means."
He then goes on to talk about his future.
“Three weeks ago I received an offer that would change my life and my family’s life forever. I come from humble beginnings, slowly but surely I have been building myself up and achieving things with a lot of hard work and dedication. To achieve financial freedom at 25 would be unimaginable.
“I want to leave, I want to seek new experiences, but want to do this in a fair and correct manner. I will be forever grateful to WBA, to its fans and to every single professional who works at the club and who welcomed me with open arms."
Firpo on Orta, Messi, Leeds
Junior Firpo has credited the influence of Leeds United's director of football Victor Orta in his decision to join the club.
The 24-year-old joined from La Liga giants Barcelona in July, signing for a fee reported to be worth £12.8m
His decision was helped by Orta, who flew to Spain for talks with the former Real Betis man and managed to convince him a move to Elland Road was the best option.
Firpo told Sky Sports: “I never want to forget Victor (Orta).
“Victor comes to me and shows me the project of the team, of the club. I think the first time I spoke with him, I had a clear decision.”
Read more on Firpo's decision to join Leeds, his time alongside Lionel Messi and more here.
Bielsa may have defensive decision to make
Leeds United endured an injury-hit season at centre-back last year, and their luck does not appear to be changing ahead of the new campaign.
Diego Llorente and Pascal Struijk both picked up knocks in the friendly defeat to Real Betis, whilst Liam Cooper is yet to feature in a pre-season run-out for reasons still unknown.
Away from the senior side, Charlie Cresswellis earning plaudits in the under-23s but was withdrawn from the friendly against Fleetwood Town due to a head injury and will not feature for at least another week.
There has been no announcement regarding the injuries as there have been no post-match press conferences during pre-season, leaving supporters second-guessing who will begin the season at centre-half.
Here's a look at Bielsa's options for the trip to Old Trafford on August 14.
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