It has been a quiet 10 days at Leeds United since the play-off final defeat to Southampton last month.
Though plenty of work will be going on behind-the-scenes, with the window not officially open until June 14, this is the brief period in football where people get the chance to switch off.
Once things do get going, it is certainly expected to be a busy window at Leeds as failure to win promotion is likely to lead to the exits of key players.
However, chairman Paraag Marathe has insisted funds will be available to spend and that Leeds will have a squad more than capable of going one better next season.
With that in mind, Leeds will be looking to bring in high quality replacements for those who depart, whether that be on loan, from the free agent market, or even permanent signings.
Why Chelsea’s deal for Tosin Adarabioyo is good news for Leeds
Leeds did not make a single signing until the third week of July last summer and that slow start to the season was a major contributing factor to them falling short.
Marathe has already suggested Leeds will look to avoid those mistakes this time around and that shouldn’t be too difficult given there is already clarity around the ownership and managerial situations, unlike 12 months ago.
However, for Championship clubs on the lookout for Premier League loans, sometimes patience can be a virtue. Particularly in terms of young players, managers often want to take a look at them in pre-season first before deciding whether to send them out, or even make signings of their own.
Last summer was a prime example, as all three of Leeds’ loanees in Joe Rodon, Djed Spence and Jaidon Anthony did not join until well into August.
This time around, though, Leeds have already been linked with one potential loan signing, with Chelsea defender Alfie Gilchrist reportedly on the radar.
And although loan signings do tend to happen later in the window, this could be one that moves quickly based on the business Chelsea are conducting.
As per Fabrizio Romano, central defender Tosin Adarabioyo underwent a medical at Stamford Bridge yesterday ahead of sealing his move on a free transfer.
Adarabioyo will become the seventh centre-back in Enzo Maresca’s squad and that already rules out any sort of first team action for Gilchrist next season, despite his recent breakthrough.
That means Chelsea could be prepared to make a quick decision on sending him out and so if Leeds are indeed keen, a deal is there to be done swiftly.
What Mauricio Pochettino said about Leeds target Gilchrist
As mentioned, Gilchrist was handed numerous first team opportunities at Chelsea last season by Mauricio Pochettino, a manager who has since been replaced.
Gilchrist made 15 appearances in all competitions, including from the start in the FA Cup win over Leeds. He also managed to score his first senior goal against Everton.
That was clearly a huge moment for the boyhood Chelsea fan, with Pochettino hailing him as ‘amazing’ after that game.
He said: “He’s an amazing guy in the way that he works, he is always available. He’s the type of player you want in the squad.”
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