Massimo Cellino confirmed this morning that Leeds have completed the loan signing of Frederik Sorensen from Juventus, only a day after Nicky Ajose joined us from Peterborough United.
Sorensen has signed up for a season long loan, with Leeds paying Juventus £500,000, but there is also an option to convert the deal into a permanent deal next summer for a further payment of £3.5 million. This figure is beyond Leeds current budget, especially as Cellino has earmarked the Ross McCormack fee to go towards the re-purchase of Elland Road, so the chances are it won’t happen unless Leeds can get back into the Premiership.
But for the time being his signing means we’re no longer in danger of running out of central defenders, and he will be a replacement for the departed Tom Lees. The 22-year-old Dane spent the last two years on loan at Bologna, and currently has little prospect of forcing his way into Juventus’ starting line-up, as they currently have several more experienced defenders in the squad.
The Sorensen deal comes hot on the heels of the signing of Nicky Ajose from Peterborough, for a somewhat cheaper of £150,000. Ajose is a striker and a former Man United trainee, but we’ll try not to hold that against him now he’s ended up on the right side of the Pennines.
Ajose was recommended by David Hockaday, who told the Yorkshire Post "He’s very talented, a super professional and an ideal addition to our squad.” You might think it’s the coach’s job to sign players, but this is a rare moment of Hockaday being allowed to do anything, and it came on the same day that Cellino was telling the Daily Telegraph that Hockaday needed baby-sitting!
But despite our new owner’s unpredictability I’m beginning to feel the first stirrings of optimism after this rapid recruitment drive, so let’s hope it all works out this time.