I had planned to sit and pen a thoughtful analysis of the Bolton match today, but once again the Leeds United Circus has made any critique of the team’s weekend performance redundant. Following news that Leeds are about to sell Stephen Warnock the very obvious thought occurs – are Redders and Cellino actually talking?

Neil Redfearn made a good point recently after a run of poor results, that Leeds (languishing perilously close to the relegation spots) needed proven Championship players to steady the ship. The problem with such a young side is that many are still finding their feet, add in a selection of players who are new to this league and English football in general, and I sometimes find myself wondering “who on this pitch can lead the team forwards?”.

We’ve seen it a fistful of times this season already, the team lack resolve. When we go one goal down, unless we equalise immediately we seem to buckle and fold under the self-imposed pressure. We no longer assert ourselves on games. Redfearn obviously wants players who understand the difficulty of this league to anchor us down in a storm.

The problem is that there’s no synergy between Redders and Cellino

I’m not saying that behind the scenes the two aren’t cooperating, but there’s an enormous disconnect between the statements Redfearn makes and the actions (presumably instigated by Cellino). For example, after the Sunderland match (in time for the window to open) Redfearn said:

Redfearn said he's hopeful that Leeds will complete "one or two" signings before they play Bolton next weekend. #lufc — Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) January 4, 2015

Yet with Massimo out in Miami absolutely nothing happened. Well, Noel Hunt was released (unsurprisingly enough) and Nicky Adjose had his loan extended, but we didn’t get any players in before Bolton like Neil wanted.

I understand that activity takes time, but there weren’t any rumours, news or anything over that period – the absence of Massimo Cellino from England seems to stall any positive transfer activity.

Stephen Warnock

Arguably our best player this season (or at least our most consistent), at 33 years old there isn’t a single fan who believes Warnock is the future. What most fans are pragmatic enough to appreciate is that we’re nearly bottom and Warnock has been one of our best performers. Yes, Charlie Taylor is likely to be our first choice left back in the future, but Stephen Warnock has been an important player for us this season and losing him at a point when we need experienced personnel isn’t good.

Granted, with his contract expiring in the Summer and what I understand to be a reasonable offer from Derby on the table, it’s not hard to imagine why Warnock would entertain such a move. Especially if rumours of a PFA complaint towards Cellino are to be believed.

Cellino and Warnock haven’t exactly seen eye-to-eye, but Neil made him captain (deservedly so, in my opinion). I can’t imagine Redders is proactively campaigning for his ageing captain to be sold little over 2 weeks since publicly stating that the club needs more players with the kind of experience Warnock has. This very much sounds like Massimo’s actions overrulling any other.

Warnock is one of the club’s highest earners and will be leaving in the Summer (unless we offer him an extension); it’s understandable from a business perspective why they wish to cash-in on a depreciating asset – freeing up a fair chunk of wage budget. But we’re in dire straights and resolute, experienced professionals are what we need – and it seems like we’re going to get one less.

Transfer policy

It’ll be interesting to see whether Luciano Becchio comes back to Leeds; Redfearn has publicly stated that he’d be interested in bringing the Argentine back to the club but he’s a player Massimo has no background on.

I also thought it was interesting that after citing the need for players who understand the league, we’re immediately linked with more Serie B players who I need to Google for. It reads very much like Redfearn identifies positions he wants to strengthen and Massimo uses his Italian scouting network to find a candidate.

The problem with foreign

No, this isn’t a BNP/EDL/UKIP leaflet. The problem with foreign players is that they’re a greater risk than their domestic counterparts. We seem to be fond of pulling unsettled Serie B players across the channel and housing them in Leeds – players who take time to acclimatise to the country, club, league and style of play. English football is littered with continental players who have the correct attributes on paper but fail to adapt to the English game.

I have no qualms with players from any nationality, what concerns me is that we’re very close to the relegation spots and replacing a player who not only performed very well this season, but is hugely experienced and potentially replacing them with an untested misfit from a foreign league.

They might be brilliant, they could be the next Tony Dorigo. But they could also be the next Roque Junior (a World Cup winner, let’s not forget). It’s around risk mitigation for me, and we’re not in the safest of positions to roll those particular dice.

Rudy Austin

Perhaps one of the most poignant examples of the disconnect between Massimo and Redfearn in terms of transfers is our Jamaican midfielder. Rumours are that he’s going to be loaned out with a view to being sold, presumably because Massimo doesn’t rate him. Redfearn, however, came out with:

Redfearn wants Rudy Austin to stay with Leeds this month, saying his departure would be "a mistake":http://t.co/lOKboGWvkn — Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) January 8, 2015

Every time Neil makes a comment about transfer policy the club’s actions seem to go in the opposite direction. I’m not suggesting this indicates a lack of harmony, a lack of respect or anything more substantial than what we already know – that Massimo does what Massimo wants.

It’s frustrating for me as a fan because I agree with Redders. We can all see where we need to strengthen and we’re all acutely aware of the potential impact of not doing so. The fact that Massimo evidently has his own plans is unsettling, especially when they include taking one of our best performing players and selling them for short-term gain. I’m not saying selling Stephen Warnock will get us relegated, but it certainly won’t help. Unless he’s replaced with someone better – which he might well be, but it’ll be because that particular dice-roll landed on a 6 rather than a 1, and little else.

Yes, Charlie Taylor looks good and Aidy White is training again, but it’s not necessarily about this particular transfer. It’s the disconcerting turbulence that comes with Cellino stomping around the club changing things on a whim. I’ll judge Massimo after 46 games because we always knew this would be a season of transition, but as it currently stands I’ll be happy to retain Championship status.

And that, friends, is not a statement I expected to make this season. On and on.