Leeds United supporters will hope that their side hits the ground running from minute one of this new Championship season, with newly promoted Portsmouth first up on the bumper fixture list.
Of course, last campaign saw the Whites go winless across their first three games before clicking into gear, as Daniel Farke prays that a comfortable win comes his side's way after the opening clash is over and done with at Elland Road, instead of another rude awakening.
The German boss will also hope he can sign a couple more new talents between now and the end of the month to help keep his team near the top of the competitive league too, regardless of any more departures taking place.
Leeds eyeing up loan swoop
As per a report by Football Insider, Liverpool are now willing to allow 19-year-old midfielder Bobby Clark to leave Anfield on a loan deal this summer, with Leeds previously being credited as an interested party in the Reds youth player.
Norwich City are also reportedly keen on adding Clark to their Championship squad ahead of another challenging second-tier season kicking off, alongside Red Bull Salzburg, but Farke will hope he can get one over on his former side and any other suitors in his club's pursuit of the loan target.
Clark would be able to offer the Whites another body in the middle of the park if signed, which could prove to be useful with no Glen Kamara around anymore in the Elland Road camp.
What Clark could offer Leeds
His versatility to play in a number of different positions in the middle makes his game feel somewhat reminiscent of the now departed Archie Gray, who is amazingly one year younger than the Reds number 42, but is now lining up for Tottenham Hotspur as a major £30m buy.
Clark could come on leaps and bounds in and around the ranks at Leeds next season, having shown signs of his quality last season when thrown in at the deep-end by Jurgen Klopp, with this goal in the Europa League his first professional strike for the top-flight giants.
The now ex-Liverpool boss would go as far as to describe the up-and-coming teenager as "exceptional" off the back of that strike against Sparta Prague, with a formative loan move away from the comforts of his current employers now firmly on the agenda.
CM
52
6
10
LM
18
8
3
AM
3
0
0
DM
3
1
1
LW
3
3
0
RW
1
0
0
RM
1
0
0
Clark could soon become Farke's next Gray when you glance at the number of positions he's able to play in, with the temptation to even give him a run-out down the left flank for the Whites if he is signed, to weigh up the options here away from Crysencio Summerville.
Although, it's abundantly clear from the table above that he would shine in the centre of the park if called into action here too, with eight goals and ten assists managed from 52 Liverpool clashes in this spot, when predominantly playing in the youth teams. As a result, this could lead to Leeds' chase of FC Koln midfielder Dejan Ljubicic going cold.
Clark would be able to enter the building on a loan deal, which would enable Leeds to splash their cash elsewhere away from adding more midfielders to their ever-growing group.
On the contrary, his Austrian counterpart would reportedly cost an eye-watering £6.8m to prise away, with Ljubicic also failing to set the Bundesliga alight last campaign with zero goals from 26 clashes, as Koln suffered relegation.
Therefore, if Farke wants an injection of youth to come in and offer great depth like Gray used to, signing Clark during this transfer window feels like the best possible move he can make.
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