The football season is now almost upon us and since the whistle went at Queens Park Rangers in May I have been keeping a record of all players linked with Leeds in the media.
In total 46 players have been linked with Leeds in the newspapers that I have managed to find.
Of those 46 only 3 have joined, Paul Rachubka, Andy Lonergan and Darren O`Dea.
Leeds other summer signing Michael Brown was never mentioned as a target for Leeds and came out the blue.
50% of the players are still at their original clubs.
Some of the players linked have included former Leeds favourites, Alan Smith, Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer.
Experienced German international Torsten Frings was probably the most (really?) link of the summer. Frings eventually joining FC Toronto in Canada.
Also being linked with Leeds was former Czech Republic international and Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, but it was at a time when Leeds were being linked with a whole host of goalkeepers.
Three players have left Elland Road in the summer. Kasper Schmeichel, Bradley Johnson and Neil Kilkenny all departing.
Leeds announced the day that the rumours started about Schmeichel joining Leicester that they had accepted a bid from the midlands club.
Johnson and Kilkenny were both out of contract in the summer and both were linked with a whole host of clubs.
Johnson eventually signed for Norwich City who were strongly linked with his signature.
Kilkenny signed for Bristol City who were also mentioned as being interested in his services.
Two players have been linked with moves away most weeks during the summer.
Robert Snodgrass has been linked with Norwich City, West Brom and Wigan Athletic.
Norwich reportedly had a bid in the region of £5 million turned down by Leeds.
The one player that has constantly been the topic of interest is Max Gradel.
Gradel has been linked with, Newcastle United, Stoke City, West Ham, Fulham, Swansea City, QPR, SV Hamburg, Lille and Paris St Germain.
Three other players have seen their names linked with other clubs, Luciano Becchio (Swansea), Patrick Kisnorbo (Crystal Palace) and Billy Paynter (Sheffield United) all remain at Elland Road.
The players linked, in and out
Coming in
Keith Southern – Blackpool (Signed new deal at Blackppol)
Lee Bowyer – Birmingham (Joined Ipswich Town)
Victor Paisson – Hibernian
David Norris – Ipswich Town (joined Portsmouth)
Keiren Westwood – Coventry City (Joined Sunderland)
Tom Naylor – Mansfield Town
Jack Cork – Chelsea (Joined Southampton)
Barry Douglas – Dundee United
George Friend – Doncaster Rovers (Signed new deal at Doncaster)
Alan Smith – Newcastle
Bolo Zenden – Sunderland
Tommy Spurr – Sheffield Wednesday (Joined Doncaster Rovers)
Nick Montgomery – Sheffield United
Jonathan Woodgate – Tottenham Hotspur (Joined Stoke)
Torsten Frings – Werder Bremen (Joined Toronto)
Neil Danns – Crystal Palace (Joined Leicester City)
David Stockdale – Fulham (Joined Ipswich Town)
Jason Brown – Blackburn (Joined Aberdeen)
Alex Smithies – Huddersfield Town
Lee Grant – Burnley
Paul Rachubka – Blackpool (Signs for Leeds)
Tomasz Kuszczak – Manchester United
Fraser Forster – Newcastle United
Iain Turner – Everton (Joined Preston North End)
Jonathan Greening – Fulham (Joined Nottingham Forest)
Jerzy Dudek – Real Madrid
Andy Lonergan – Preston North End (Joins Leeds)
Eric Lichaj – Aston Villa
Gary Roberts – Huddersfield Town
Adam Le Fondre – Rotherham United
Michael Brown – Portsmouth (signs and was never linked with Leeds)
Iain Turner – Everton (Joined Preston North End)
Stephen Quinn – Sheffield United
Nick Montgomery – Sheffield United
Alexei Emerenko – Kilmarnock
Giles Barnes – West Brom (Joined Doncaster Rovers)
Chris Maxwell – Wrexham
Sammy Clingan – Coventry City
Sanchez Watt – Arsenal
Wade Elliott – Burnley
Michael Johnson – Manchester City (Joined Leicester City)
Tom Soares – Stoke City
Carl Dickinson – Stoke City (Joined Watford)
Keith Andrews – Blackburn (Joined Ipswich Town)
Jonathan Spector – West Ham United (Joined Birmingham City)
Darren O`Dea – Celtic (Joins Leeds)
Going out
Kasper Schmeichel – Manchester United
Max Gradel – Hamburg
Neil Kilkenny – Stoke, Leicester, Hull City, Burnley, Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Doncaster Rovers
Bradley Johnson – Aston Villa, Wigan, Stoke, West Brom, Bolton and Hull City, Sunderland, Norwich
Robert Snodgrass – West Brom, Norwich
Neil Kilkenny – Not signing a new deal (Joined Bristol City)
Bradley Johnson – Not signing a new deal
Robert Snodgrass – Norwich rumoured to have offered up to £5 million for his services
Bradley Johnson – Reported to have had a medical at Norwich – Still no move
Neil Kilkenny – Hull City (joined Bristol City)
Billy Paynter – Carlisle United & Sheffield United
Max Gradel – West Ham United, Swansea City and two unnamed French clubs.
Kasper Schmeichel – Leicester City & Celtic (Joined Leicester City)
Max Gradel – Stoke City, Newcastle, West Ham and Fulham
Neil Kilkenny – Finally leaves and joins Bristol City
Max Gradel – West Ham, Fulham and Swansea City
Patrick Kisnorbo – Crystal Palace (Signs new Leeds contract)
Bradley Johnson – finally completes his move to Norwich City
Luciano Becchio – Swansea City
Robert Snodgrass – Leeds ready to offer him a new deal and slap £8 million price tag on him
Max Gradel -West Ham (rumoured to have made an offer), QPR, Wigan Athletic, Fulham and Lille.
Billy Paynter – Sheffield United (rumoured in exchange with Quinn and Montgomery)
Robert Snodgrass – Wigan Athletic
Max Gradel linked with nine clubs – first time that Paris St Germain are linked with his signing.
Robert Snodgrass – Wigan Athletic still chasing the midfielder after selling Charles N`Zogbia
Vital Leeds are the proud sponsors of the Thames Valley Whites Regional Supporters club
The fastest growing Leeds United supporters club in the South of England, with almost 200 members since it`s formation in April 2009, travel to all games home and away.
The branch has pick up points at Basingstoke, Reading, Didcot, Abingdon, Oxford, Bicester and Banbury and will consider other pick up points on request.
Vital Leeds offers everything that a Leeds United supporter could wish for. If you can think of something and suggest it, we`ll put it on the website!
With news and views, along with a forum, polls and article comments, everything you need in a fans site is right here!
You can even win prizes, by posting articles comments, posting on the message forum and voting on the polls.
The site is regularly updated with news and views regarding all the current events at Elland Road, alongside a fully interactive message forum.
With news and views, along with a forum, polls and article comments, everything you need in a fans site is right here!
You can even win prizes, by posting articles comments, posting on the message forum and voting on the polls.
Vital is also 100% interactive. Not only can you have your say on the articles and the forum but you can also suggest an article or a poll so you can air your views.
So why not join Vital today?
It’s easy to register here and enjoy getting involved
Message Board
To visit the message board, click here.
Get involved
This website is your website and we are looking for people to help run the site. Do you go to most of the games and have an opinion? Why not write a match report? Perhaps you are a budding journalist or even just someone who is very opinionated? Well why not join our team? If this interests you please contact Vital Leeds .
Vital Leeds is now available on both facebook and twitter, so if you are that way inclined and more importantly understand all this new fangled dangled stuff, feel free to watch us, poke us or whatever else you are meant to do there!
Vital Leeds on:
Vital Leeds on: