Our close season recruitment campaign is well and truly up and running, with three permanent signings completed in the last two days. The latest arrival is former Motherwell striker Lee Erwin.
Erwin turned down the offer of a new contract at Fir Park and has signed a three-year deal at Elland Road, though Motherwell will be entitled to compensation as the player is only 20. This figure is likely to be around £300,000, but the final figure is yet to be agreed.
Erwin came from the youth ranks at Motherwell, and scored five in his last nine games to play his part in their successful battle to avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League. He was involved in the fracas that followed the final whistle of their play-off game with Rangers, but thankfully this only earned him a yellow card, so he won’t have to start the new season with a suspension.
And he certainly sounded well up for it when he spoke to our official site earlier today. "I was over the moon that such a big club was interested and I don’t think I could have ever turned that offer down. I just want to continue progressing as a player and I think this is the best place to progress. Leeds is a big club, it’s a good opportunity.” Obviously we’re not famous any more.
Erwin can either play as a centre-forward or out wide, or maybe even ‘in the hole’ as a more deep-lying striker, so he will give us a few more options during the course of the season. "Most people think I’m just a target man because I’m a six-foot plus striker but I don’t really like to be a target man to be honest. I like to run the channels and go in-behind.”
"The main challenge is just working hard to impress the coach and everyone at Leeds United to try and get in the first-team. That’s the main focus.” He sounds like another good signing, with plenty of potential for the future, and I can’t wait to see him in action.
Meanwhile our former player Aidy White has signed for Rotherham United on a free transfer after Leeds released him at the end of last season. He could be a good acquisition for the Millers if he can overcome his seemingly permanent fitness problems, and we wish him well in his future career.