Phil Hay explains latest on Leeds’ Gustavo Hamer interest, Coventry to make deal difficult

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Coventry City are ‘unlikely to be hugely helpful’ in Leeds United’s pursuit of Gustavo Hamer.

That is according to Phil Hay, who was speaking on the latest episode of the Square Ball Podcast, where he explained how Championship clubs are always notoriously difficult to deal with when selling players they want to keep to side’s in the same division.

Hay revealed on the Athletic earlier this week that Hamer is a potential target for Leeds this summer, with midfield a clear area which will require additions.

Weston McKennie has already departed, Marc Roca is likely to follow, Adam Forshaw is yet to sign his new contract offer and Tyler Adams is attracting interest from the Premier League.

As such, Leeds will require at the very least two new midfielders and Hamer is someone on the club’s shortlist, with the 26-year-old a player they have admired for a while.

Coventry to make Hamer deal difficult for Leeds

Hamer is in the final year of his contract at Coventry, but with the Sky Blues having agreed to sell Leeds target Viktor Gyokeres to Sporting Club de Portugal in the last 24 hours, they are not in a position where they need to raise funds.

Equally, Hamer was clearly Coventry’s best and most important player alongside Gyokeres last season, and as such, Hay believes they will make it difficult for Leeds to do a deal.

He said: “They do really like him. Goals, assists, very talented and I think his contract is up in 2024, but what you know is when you start dealing with Championship clubs, unless you’re talking about players they actively want to move on, they’re unlikely to be hugely helpful.

“In the same way that, although they were in a different division then, Coventry were not in anyway cooperate with Gyokeres in January. They were adamant he was staying, it was the very decision, got them to the play-off final and very nearly got them promoted. Hamer is somebody they’ve liked for a long time.”

Hamer is the type of player that Leeds simply must go big on this summer if they have ambitions of sealing an immediate return to the Premier League.

He scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists last season from midfield and with the money coming in from freed up wages, and player sales this summer, investment in this calibre of player is key.

There are not many, if any, at all better than Hamer in this division and his arrival would be a significant statement of intent from San Francisco 49er Enterprises.