The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Wednesday 3rd January) End of an era for Luke Ayling?
Good Morning. It's Wednesday 3rd January, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
End of an era for Ayling?
Luke Ayling's near eight year tenure at Elland Road could be coming to an end, after being linked with a move to Championship rivals Middlesbrough! The 32 year old has fallen down the pecking order at Elland Road since Daniel Farke's arrival, and with less than six months left on his contract, is looking to secure his playing future elsewhere. Bill is a fans favourite, but his lack of pace is a cause for concern for the club.
According to Sky Sports, Boro Manager Michael Carrick is looking to bolster his defensive options and see's the flexible 32yo as someone who can fill in at right back or centre-half!
Can Rutter flourish at No10
Nobody can question Georginio Rutter's importance in the Leeds Utd starting XI, but with just four goal in 26 appearances, a tweak in his positioning was long overdue.
Dropping the Frenchman to a deeper role has dominated many press conferences this season, but Piroe's lack of pace was a slight concern for the Leeds gaffer. His proud scoring record at Swansea City (41 goals in 91 appearances) was undoubtable a major factor why the Dutchman was top of Farke's wanted list, but his link up play and off-the-ball work rate were equally vital, as long as he can keep firing in the goals.
Piroe spent much of his two year tenure at the Liberty Stadium, switching between leading the line and No10, so it's a position that he is familiar with. His surprise exclusion on New Years Day was an opportunity for the former PSV man to recharge his batteries after a gruelling first half of the season which has seen him rack up 2186 minutes of game time.
During his post match presser, Farke praised Rutter for a 'brilliant performance', claiming his fitness levels, ball retention and positional discipline were a major factor why the 21yo was playing much of the Birmingham game at No10.
He fulfilled this role in a nearly perfect way - it was a brilliant performance. In recent weeks we have played him more in a flexible role, a bit deeper. He started quite often in a role up front but we have put him slightly deeper. We got the feeling he has improved in many areas - first of all his fitness level, so that he can cover more ground, also with his tidiness with the ball and also his confidence level.
At the beginning of the season sometimes there were tight areas and unnecessary loss of the ball, he's much tidier now and also in his positional discipline - when we ask him to play deeper he does more what we need. It helped him to have a tidy player like Patrick Bamford up front, who took away a bit of the attention of the centre-backs. You can have a plan but the most important thing is the player brings it on the pitch. He has fulfilled all my expectations and I am pleased with his performance.
Moore heading to Easter Road?
Leeds defender Kris Moore could be heading North of the border to Easter Road for the rest of the season! The U21's skipper is wanted by New Hibs Manager Nick Montgomery, a former Elland Road academy player (and Leeds fan himself). The centre-back is highly thought of at Thorp Arch, and signed a contract extension last Summer, tying him to the club until the Summer of 2025.
The lure of first team football will appeal to both club and player. Moore has recently turned 20, and is at the crossroads in his career where he needs to be playing week in, week out!