Leeds United are in talks with transfer consultants Nick Hammond and Gary Penrice over contract extensions but the 49ers Enterprises have other priorities amongst the playing staff.
The Athletic journalist Phil Hay, reported on 11 October that Leeds were so pleased with the work of both behind-the-scenes figures during the summer, that they are now willing to offer them both new deals after signing short-term deals.
Should these be agreed, it would see Hammond and Penrice remain at Elland Road for the next two transfer windows, both of which look set to be vital again.
The Whites were tasked with facing arguably their most difficult summer since they were last relegated from the Premier League with so much recruitment needing to be completed after as many as 18 first-team stars departed Elland Road.
Indeed, Penrice and Hammond, working in tandem with Daniel Farke and chief executive Angus Kinnear have done exceptionally well to ensure Leeds United are well-equipped to challenge at the top of the Championship, bring in as many as nine players before the window shut [Transfermarkt].
Penrice and Hammond will be needed again in January as Farke could be expected to strengthen even further ahead of the second half of a crucial season for the club.
A contract renewal is certainly the right way to go for both figures but there’s a current contract situation amongst the playing staff that needs addressing or verbal guarantees given his age, to ensure a bright future at Elland Road.
That player is the incredibly gifted Archie Gray.
Newspaper journalist Alan Nixon, taking to his Patreon page on 25 September reported that, Premier League outfit Crystal Palace plan to be at the front of the queue if Leeds are forced to cash in on their prized academy asset.
The Eagles have been tracking the 17-year-old talent for some time and his first-team breakthrough has put them on red alert [The Sun, 24 September] and they may not be the only English top-flight club interested should the Whites fail to seal Premier League promotion.
Palace’s interest in Gray will come as no surprise to fans of the Eagles, with their recent transfer strategy focused on bringing in some of the Championship’s top young talent and giving them space to develop with regular football.
However, the 49ers Enterprises who also hold such ambitions of their own especially if Farke leads them back into the Premier League next season, will certainly count this interest as a desperate need to act and secure Gray’s future at Elland Road with his current deal coming to an end in 2025 [Transfermarkt].
If the Whites do not address his current contract situation, they face the prospect of wasting millions on him with the likes of Palace or another top-flight club securing his signature for next to nothing next summer, with his contract only having a year to run.
Getting contracts sorted for Hammond and Penrice is all well and good, and while their business over the next few windows will be crucial to the club’s future at the top level, none are greater than the potential Gray holds in West Yorkshire.
For that reason alone, the 49ers Enterprises must get their priorities in order to ensure Gray’s immediate and long-term future at Leeds United is tighter than Fort Knox.
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