All Leeds Aren't We?

Leeds United have appointed former England international Josh Townend as their new head coach.

The 41-year-old replaces the out-going Steve Evans, who steered the club clear of relegation and achieved a 13th placed finish. Following little talk of a contract renewal, a replacement seemed likely.

That replacement comes in the form of a managerial rookie in Townend. He started his playing career at Leeds where he played between 1992 and 1996. He then moved on to Everton where he played until 1999, Tottenham until 2002, Charlton until 2006 and Southampton until 2010.

His coaching career has seen him take on roles at Southampton, Bristol City and Hull City. He leaves his role as reserve manager at the Tigers with immediate effect.

Speaking to the press, Townend said:

"I'm delighted to have signed for Leeds. It's a club I've supported since I was a boy, had the privilege to play for and now have the opportunity to manage.

It's a high pressure job, there's no hiding from that. It's why I want to deliver a team that will play out of its skin for our fans"

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Aston Villa have announced that they have completed the signing of Leeds United's 22-year-old defender Charlie Taylor.

Taylor began his career at Leeds having risen through the club's academy, which has spawned the likes of Alan Smith, James Milner, Aaron Lennon, Fabian Delph, Sam Byram and Lewis Cook. Taylor is the last of a 'golden generation' of Leeds players to have left the club, having played alongside academy comrades Sam Byram, Lewis Cook and Alex Mowatt, who have since left for West Ham, Bournemouth and Barnsley respectively.

Leeds will receive a sum believed to be around £7m, including £1.5m spread over 12 months.

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Leeds United have completed the signing of Samuel Souprayen from Hellas Verona.

The French left-back signed for Hellas Verona on a free transfer from French outfit Dijon last year, and seems to have made an impression during his short spell in Serie A. Souprayen came from the Stade Rennais youth setup and having spent a year on loan at Dijon in 2009/10, he featured in Stade Rennais' 2010/11 campaign before permanently switching to Dijon in the summer of 2011.

Souprayen arrives on a three-year deal, in a switch believed to be worth around £1.5m, and will most likely be Leeds' replacement for departed academy product, Charlie Taylor.

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Francesco Migliore has completed his transfer from Spezia to Leeds United on a three-year deal.

The 28-year-old arrives from Serie B outfit Spezia, where he has spent the past three years following his free transfer from Crotone. Migliore has also turned out for Giulianova Calcio of Serie C1/B and Mons in the Belgian Pro League.

Migliore's primary position is at left-back, and he is expected to add depth to a position where fellow newbie Samuel Souprayen is the only other occupant.

The deal is believed to be worth around £800,000.

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Leeds United have completed the signing of Ternana's attacking midfielder, Cesar Falletti.

The 23-year-old Uruguayan playmaker spent three years at Ternana, following his transfer from Club Atletico Cerro of the Uruguayan First Division.

Falletti's arrival should signal competition for the 'number 10' berth, currently occupied by ex-Swansea City man, Pablo Hernandez. Falletti has youth on his side and if not at first, he will gradually look to become a regular starter for the Whites.

Falletti arrives at Elland Road for sum in the region of £1.2m, on a contract that will run for three years.

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Results

0-0 VS UNDER 23S (H)

0-1 VS DINAMO SPLIT (H)

Davorin Barnjak 12

3-1 VS GILLINGHAM (A)

Chris Wood 4
Luke Ayling 18
Pablo Hernandez 21
Max Ehmer 28

2-3 VS AFC WIMBLEDON (A)

Lyle Taylor 27
Chris Robertson 35
Tom Elliott 50
Kalvin Phillips 53
Chris Wood 69

2-3 VS STURM GRAZ (H)

Jimmy Jeggo pen 4
Alexander Kara 42
Roland Hopfer 62
Chris Wood 67, 90+1

2-0 VS ARDS (A)

Mo Barrow 53
Luke Ayling 67

Player of pre-season


Chris Wood has given Leeds fans a reason to be hopeful for the season ahead, despite the team in general achieving mixed results. The New Zealand international has had a formidable pre-season, scoring 4 goals in 6 appearances. If he keeps this form up and Leeds improve at the back, this could be a great season for Wood and his West Yorkshire employers.

Arrivals

Samuel Souprayen Hellas Verona £1.5m
Francesco Migliore Spezia £825,000
Cesar Falletti Ternana £1.2m

Departures

Charlie Taylor Aston Villa £7m
Lewie Coyle Sheffield United Season-long loan

Summary

A mixed bag of results in pre-season for Leeds, the most disappointing of which will be the 3-2 defeat at Wimbledon. Josh Townend can take encouragement from the fact that Leeds have never really looked the weaker side in any of these games, including the bigger tests against Sturm Graz and Dinamo Split. The leaky defence will need to tighten up if Leeds are to be a force this year.

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Nice amount for Taylor, the annoying thing it's to another Championship club.

2017-06-13 14:04#243640 ML Scouter : Nice amount for Taylor, the annoying thing it's to another Championship club.

In most attempts at a Leeds save on FM17, he goes to the Premier League. But with him not wanting to renew his contract (which had a year on it) I had to send him to whoever would stump up the cash. If previous saves are an indicator, there's a few more players I could wring a few quid out if we're still stuck in the Championship in a year or so (touch wood that won't be the case)

The departure of Taylor is a shame as he's a very talented full-back and has a lot of potential - a real coup from Villa. I will admit that I'm not too familiar with your signings, I've heard of Migliore but I don't know too much about him, hopefully he and the other signings impress. Good luck, hopefully you'll be able to hold onto the playoffs, unlike what Monk did or do better.

Some good results in that set of pre-season games but I share the popular opinion that losing Taylor is a huge blow! Hopefully his replacement can hit the same heights!

Chances are Taylor's replacement won't hit his high standards, but I believe they're good enough to make a solid contribution. In a similar way to Berardi when he deputised for Taylor in real life this season

Leeds United fans have sold out their away allocation for Sunday's curtain raiser at Loftus Road. 2,500 supporters will flock down to the capital to see their team take on Queens Park Rangers.

Speaking to club media outlet LUTV, new Leeds head coach Josh Townend had this to say:

"It's a tremendous effort from everyone involved to come down and back us. It's a long trip to make for a Sunday lunchtime kickoff, and I'd like to thank everyone that will be getting behind us.

Loftus Road is a compact ground with a hostile atmosphere, so hopefully our lot can make it a little easier for us"

The last match between these two came in April at Elland Road, where Tjaronn Chery buried a late penalty to cancel out Chris Wood's opener in a 1-1 draw.

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Good luck man, QPR are a weird side at the minute and could cause you problems if they turn up, however if your Leeds side turn up you should have enough to get past them!

QPR are awkward, both in real life but also in game. They are tough to predict at times, but hopefully you can outclass them and start the season well.