Jeff Stelling has advised The 49ers Enterprises to “put their hands in their pockets” after Leeds United drew their first two Championship games.
Leeds have also been eliminated from the EFL Cup, losing 3-0 to Middlesbrough at Elland Road, but he realizes that less people are concerned with the competition.
With Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray, and Glen Kamara all departed this summer, and Georginio Rutter on his way out, Stelling has urged the 49ers to spend more in Daniel Farke’s team.
Stelling stated live on talkSPORT on Monday (19 August, 6:56am): “I thought the 49ers were putting money into the club.” It’s time to put their hands in their pockets. Summerville has been sold, Georginio Rutter is preparing to leave, and Archie Gray has left.
“There is no question that Leeds are more weaker at the start of this season than they were last season, and their performances reflect that. Farke wants four players. Get on with it.
Ally McCoist responded, “It will happen between now and the end of the window. But I don’t believe the effects have been bad. A draw versus Albion is hardly a horrible result in the broader scheme of things.
“You’d definitely dispute the 3-3 draw at home against Portsmouth. But they really need people in the door.”
Will the 49ers invest in the Leeds United squad before the 30th of August?
As Stelling points out, the Whites already appear significantly weaker than the squad that just lost out on promotion to the Premier League last season, with further departures expected this summer.
There was little doubt that Leeds would mourn the loss of Summerville, but many expected the Elland Road administration to reinvest some of the proceeds from the sale in a successor.
While Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto are more than capable of occupying the flanks, Leeds appear to be deficient at this position, as evidenced by their initial matches of the 2024/25 season.
Of course, three goals were expected against freshly promoted Portsmouth, but a draw was intolerable to the Elland Road crowd.
Following a 3-0 home loss to Boro and a 0-0 draw at The Hawthorns, Leeds are already underperforming, particularly in comparison to previous season’s performances.
