Ferdinand Coly

Recommendation Status: Less likely to arrive at Elland Road soon, since the main emphasis now is to strenghten the midfield.

The Lens defender is out of contract at the end of the season and is keen to move and Leeds boss, Terry Venables was said to be impressed with the giant defender as he helped Senegal to the last eight of the World Cup. And he has been frozen out at Lens by coach Joel Muller after rejecting a new three-year deal with the French club. However, should there be any offer to be made for this player, we all know it won't be soon as what Leeds need now is not a defender, but rather a midfielder. At the same time, Venables already has two international right backs in Danny Mills and Gary Kelly but is a fan of Coly. Lens are asking £3 million for the defender, but cash-strapped Leeds hope they will be able to negotiate down the price of a player who will be able to leave on a free transfer in the summer. Personally, I believe this player will be a great buy as he's got good dribbling skills and can set up many chances to score goals. Kelly is a bit too old in the right wing-back area, while Mills will need cover-up in that area where he still has lots improvement to do.

Steve McManaman

Recommendation Status: Highly recommendable, provided if Terry Venables is keen on him!

A versatile and very skillful attacking player, who is capable of playing in any position of attacking midfield, or even on the far left or right side of the pitch as winger. Perhaps we can all say that is because he's got superb dribbling skills which enables him to run past players with the ball at his feet. And whenever he runs with the ball at defenders, he often made defenders scared stiff of him and the danger he could cause. However, he may not be as fast of a player as he used to be as, we should all not forget that age is catching up with him. But if Leeds is looking for more experience in midfield, then Macca (as he is often known to his fans) is the right man. Currently, though the fans may still want him at Real Madrid, but the Spanish giants are no shortage of attacking players. They already have Guti, and Luis Figo at their expense, and given the age of Macca, Real might consider off-loading the Englishman to recoup for more money, after having to spend so much on Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo. Furthermore Macca's former Liverpool clubmate and best friend Robbie Fowler might prove to be too much of temptation for him to come and play for the Whites!

Michael Bridges

Recommendation Status: If I had been the manager of Leeds, I would have this player's bags all packed up to leave, even if it is for free!

Michael Bridges started of his career at Sunderland as only a virtually second-choice striker. Back then, even the one-time wonder boy Kevin Phillips have been regarded as the better choice of striker in the club. Until today, I still don't quite understand the reason for then Leeds manager, David O'Leary, to sign Bridges in 1999 for £5 million. Though this lad had notched up to ... err... was it 20 goals or less??!!... in only his first season, but up to date, Bridges has not play for 2 seasons due to injury problems (can you believe it??!!). Today, even though he's already recovered from injury woes, but is still playing in the reserves and not in the first team... WHY??!! If Leeds is really "cash-strapped", then Bridges should go. Although that I doubt this player will fetch much money (transfer fee) for the club, but at least Leeds can forget about having to pay this lad his weekly wages only for him to play in the reserves, then get indulged with injuries for full-time! I have heard rumours going around that players like Ian Harte, Garry Kelly, and Olivier Dacourt could be all on their way out of Elland Road, but to say Bridges is too good a player to leave this club would be like telling lies to you. As I have mentioned above, had I been appointed as the manager of Leeds instead of Terry Venables, I would have placed Michael Bridges in the market a long long time ago, even if it is for free transfer!

Seth Johnson

Recommendation Status: Hmm.... could this be just yet another of that Michael Bridges? How many Bridges does Leeds need to build?

The former England Under-21 international is a tough-tackling ball-winner, but his approach has led to more than a few unnecessary bookings. His impressive performances on the left - as wingback and midfielder - during the 2000/01 season earned him his first full England cap against Italy in November 2000 under caretaker manager Peter Taylor. The bigger clubs were always tracking Johnson and it seemed only a matter of time before he made another move, but in the end it was David O'Leary and Leeds United who signed him for a fee of £7million in October 2001. The fee can rise up to £9million on appearances. The move also meant O'Leary had now spent £96million at Elland Road. However, due to over-whelming of injury problems, Johnson has spent most of his time in the 01-02 campaign and much of 02-03 season out on the sidelines. Since Terry Venables took charge at Leeds, Johnson has yet to make a full debut. He may be back to full fitness but have been lacking match practise and is currently off-form. Instead of becoming a key figure, he could end up becoming yet another flop at Elland Road should he still not be able to feature in the 1st team as a regular figure soon. I guess now we all know where did O'Leary and Risdale loss all those savings of money from LUFC to, don't we? They must have thought they were too rich enough, they'd overspent the whole damn thing on these players. Guess I'll call this a case of "Michael Bridges", with an exception that this lad is a much better bridge than the original!

Kleberson

Recommendation Status: He's already been tracked down by Terry Venables, and hopefully, he could come and play for Leeds some day soon!

Brazil's World Cup winning midfield player, Kleberson, could be Terry Venables new signing of the season should both Leeds and the Brazillian's club Atletico Paranaense be able to settle over the contract matters of the player. Reports have suggested that Leeds are prepared to pay £4 million for the player itself. I thought Kleberson could make lots of impact at Leeds as he's had all the experience from playing in South America and being part of Brazil. Leeds really do need to go for a change, especially in the midfield department as they have previously tried to build a strong team, though unsuccessfully, with the likes of Olivier Dacourt and Lee Bowyer. With new management, changes have been brought on, and of course, Leeds needs a change in various areas of the team. Midfield is one of them, and if I'm not mistaken, Kleberson is a future star and a famous name to watch out for in England, Europe, and across the whole world, should he join Leeds.