Leeds United make the trip to West Ham United on Sunday in what may be do or die in their battle for Premier League safety.
The Whites could either be relegated or out of the bottom three by the end of the weekend which is no doubt a daunting prospect for the club.
Leeds‘ two main relegation rivals Everton and Nottingham Forest are both in action a day earlier than Sam Allardyce’s side, and so the picture will look a lot clearer before they are in action in the capital.
Allardyce has very much turned towards Leeds’ senior players since his appointment at the beginning of the month, and after two decent performances, that is unlikely to change at the weekend.
Our predicted XI sees returns to the line-up for both Adam Forshaw and Liam Cooper, both of whom have been at Leeds for a number of years.
Predicted XI shows Leeds were right to fire Orta
Jack Harrison, Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling are among some those we also expect to start, and while it is difficult to argue against that, it is there where the problem lays.
Leeds are now at the back-end of their third season back in the Premier League, and yet they still remain heavily reliant on a number of players from the promotion side.
That is not the fault of the individuals themselves, but rather the man who was tasked with overseeing the club’s recruitment, Victor Orta.
Including the conversion of loans into permanent deals, and the signing of U21s, Orta brought in 34 players across the six transfer windows that followed winning the Championship, at a combined cost of £273 million, which will pass the £300 million mark if Weston McKennie joins permanently (LUFCData).
There are always going to be hits and misses in football recruitment, but for the money spent, and the team Leeds are likely to put out West Ham, there have been far too many of the latter.
Orta has wasted a ridiculous amount of money on players who are not good enough and that is why the club are in the position they are in.
While it may have been too little too late, Andrea Radrizzani was correct in his decision to fire the Spaniard, and the appointment of his replacement will be crucial if Leeds are to move forward.