Championship outfit Leeds United are rivalling Sunderland and Newcastle for Hartlepool starlet Josh Hawkes.
Say what you want about the multitude of flops Victor Orta has brought to Elland Road, Leeds United’s impressive youth teams owe much to the under-fire director of football.
A number of little known young talents have arrived at Leeds in the last two transfer windows and the likes of Kun Temenuzhkov, Sam Dalby and Jordan Stevens have been earning rave reviews for their performances with the U18s and U23s.
In fact, Leeds fans went as far as to give Orta some credit for bringing these rising stars to West Yorkshire – something which should not be underestimated considering how much flack the Spaniard has taken this season.
And reports in the Sunderland Echo that say Leeds are challenging Newcastle United and Sunderland for Hartlepool’s talented 19-year-old attacking midfielder Josh Hawkes could be viewed in one of two ways by supporters.
On one hand, Hawkes is one of the most exciting young talents in the North East, so says Hartlepool caretaker boss Matthew Bates anyway, and he would be another hungry, homegrown starlet added to Leeds’ increasingly impressive youth ranks.
On the other, preparing for the future is all well and good but the present is a bit of a mess. Leeds have drifted from the play-offs to mid-table with many of Orta’s signings proving disastrous and big changes are needed to a very average first-team squad.
Hawkes could well prove to be a good addition in the future, but it’s the here and now that needs Orta’s attention.
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