This afternoon Leeds finally completed the protracted signing of Samuel Saiz, and we’ve been promised that further deals will be completed by the time the new season kicks off.
26-year-old Saiz flew in from Malaga today after weeks of negotiations, but now it’s all over bar the medical. The deal was complicated by the nature of the deal his current club Huesca have with his former employers Atletico Madrid, and we also had to beat off rival bids from three other Spanish clubs.
Then we had to wait for the player to come back from holiday, but Leeds and Huesca have finally been able to agree on a fee of around £3 million. Provided the medical is completed without any problems, Saiz will join that squad that will travel to Austria on Friday for a pre-season tour.
Saiz usually plays as an attacking midfilder or ‘in the hole’ behind the centre forward, but he can also operate as an out-and-out striker himself, or on the right wing. No doubt this versatility will come in handy over the course of a long season.
Thomas Christiansen said at the weekend that Leeds will targeting yet more incoming players in the next few weeks. These are believed to include Macedonia international winger Ezgjan Alioski, and striker Caleb Ekuban, both of whom are currently playing in Italy.
And hopefully some defenders, to fill the gaps left by the departures of Kyle Bartley and Charlie Taylor. One possibility in that department is 22 year-old Everton player Matthew Pennington.
We live in exciting times, and hopefully the club will get all these deals over the line before the start of August.