Leeds United Sign Jean-Kevin Agustin

Leeds United have completed
the signing of Jean-Kevin Augustin.

The striker joins the Whites on an initial loan deal until the end of the season from Bundesliga outfit Red Bull Leipzig.

Augustin came through the ranks with French outfit Paris Saint-Germain and went on to make his senior debut for the club back in April 2015.

Over the course of the next two seasons, he helped PSG win every domestic honour.

In July 2017, he completed a move to German side Red Bull Leipzig for a reported fee of €13m.

He featured in both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League during his time with the Bundesliga club, who finished sixth and third in his two seasons, where he hit 20 goals in 67 outings.

Augustin returned to his native France to join AS Monaco on loan at the start of the season and went on to feature 13 times.

The 22-year-old is a France youth international, having been capped at every level from Under-16s to Under-21s.

He helped France win the European Under-19 Championship in 2016, where he was the top goal-scorer and player of the tournament.

Augustin becomes Leeds’ third signing of the January transfer window following the arrivals of Elia Caprile and Ian Poveda.

He will wear the number 29 shirt for Leeds during his time at Elland Road and the club hold the option to sign the player on a permanent basis upon completion of his loan spell.

Former Leeds and Liverpool Winger set for Blackburn Move

Former Leeds and Liverpool winger Harry Kewell is set to seal a move to Blackburn Rovers after terminating his contract with Melbourne Victory and returning to the UK.Kewell has been with the A-League side for one season but confirmed last month that he will return with his English wife who wants to be closer to her ill mother.Championship duo Blackburn and Boro are both interested in the 33-year-old while League One Swindon Town, managed by Premier League legend Paulo Di Canio, have also expressed an interest.
Blackburn now look to have won the race for the former star and he will join verteran internationals Nuno Gomes and Danny Murphy at Ewood Park.The winger made his name at Leeds United, making his name with a pace and directness that set him apart in a talented Elland Road outfit that progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2001.The Australian joined Liverpool for £5 million in 2003 but injuries, loss of form and a questionable attitude marred his five-year spell at Anfield. The Australian was surprisingly included in the starting line-up for Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League final with AC Milan but limped off after 20 minutes in a display that many felt summed up his time on Merseyside.Kewell had a spell at Galastasary in Turkey before returning to his native Australia with Victory.

Leeds United's Andy O'Brien Refused To Play

Leeds manager Simon Grayson says Andy O'Brien refused to play in the win over Burnley and will never appear for the club again. Grayson said the defender, who has been heckled by supporters, told him on Friday he did not want to play against the Clarets. "It came as a shock, especially after I have backed him publicly and privately over the last few weeks," Grayson said. "He won't play for this football club again as long as I am here." We will decide internally what happens now and make a statement next week Simon Grayson O'Brien, 32, has made three Championship appearances for Leeds this season, returning to the side in the win over Leicester on 6 November. Speaking after Leeds' 2-1 victory over the Clarets, Grayson said: "Andy came to me on Friday and said that he no longer wanted to play for this football club. "I said I needed him to and I thought he played well. "As manager, I have the right in the early parts of the season to take players out of the team and bring others in. "I have said that Andy had trained well and did enough to get back into the team against Leicester. "I don't want to say too much about the circumstances just now but we will decide internally what happens now and make a statement next week."

Bolton plot Championship raid

{EAV_BLOG_VER:41ea496353569ef4}Bolton have again been linked with a swoop for Leeds midfielder Jonny Howson, but will face competition from Blackburn. The Wanderers made a move for the 23-year-old in the summer but were knocked back by the Elland Road outfit. However, Howson's contract ends at the end of the current campaign and Leeds may be forced to cash in on the midfielder in the January transfer window. Blackburn Rovers have also been credited with an interest and Bolton boss Owen Coyle could face a battle for Howson's signature. Coyle will be keen to bolster his options in midfield in January regardless of whether or not he can capture Howson, due to the fact key men Stuart Holden and Lee Chung-Yong are both ruled out with long-term injuries.

Paynter targeted by Blades

Leeds United striker Billy Paynter has emerged as a summer transfer target for Sheffield United.Paynter is believed to be interesting Blades manager Danny Wilson and the Bramall Lane club could test Leeds’ faith in the forward with a close-season approach.The 26-year-old is 12 months into the three-year deal his signed at Elland Road last summer but his first term with United was chequered by a long-term shin injury and a return of one goal from 23 appearances.Paynter played under Wilson at Swindon Town for 18 months, scoring 29 times in his final season at the County Ground before sealing a free transfer to Leeds, and a switch to Bramall Lane would reunite the pair in League One.Leeds manager Simon Grayson showed consistent faith in Paynter last season, however, and continued to the field the former Bradford City and Hull City player until the end of the campaign, despite his scoring record.

Paynter produced his only Leeds goal in a 2-1 win at Preston North End on March 8 but was sent off for violent conduct during a costly 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United 11 days later.

He completed a three-match ban in time to return to Grayson’s starting line-up over the Easter weekend and started all of the club’s final four fixtures.

Grayson, who could yet look to Bramall Lane for a deal with Sheffield United midfielder Nick Montgomery, has several other strikers available to him having seen Luciano Becchio and Davide Somma agree new deals last year and Ross McCormack come to prominence in the closing stages of the Championship season.

Cup is not distraction for Leeds United, insists O'Brien

VICTORY over Arsenal tomorrow night would not deflect Leeds United from pursuing their main aim of promotion.

That is the confident assertion of central defender Andy O'Brien, who pointed to Saturday's 4-0 Championship win over Scunthorpe United as evidence.

Harrogate-born O'Brien signed a two-and-a-half year deal from Bolton Wanderers ahead of the FA Cup third round 1-1 draw at The Emirates and does not accept that Leeds have missed their best chance of knocking out the Gunners, who were rescued by a late penalty.

Leeds could easily have been distracted by the impending replay but, following a fully focussed win over The Iron which put them two points behind second-placed Swansea City, Bradford City product O'Brien said: "Scunthorpe was a very big game for us but we've ticked that box and now we have to go on to the next one.

"I don't think we have missed our chance. To a certain extent, the Cup games take care of themselves. We were the underdogs but now we are playing at home with a massive support behind us."

The winners tomorrow will be at home to Huddersfield Town in the fourth round, and O'Brien, who went out at the fourth round stage last season as Spurs beat Bolton, continued: "I don't think an FA Cup run is a hindrance. As a professional footballer, you want to stay in as many competitions as possible for as long as possible and if we've got a lot of games it means we are doing something right.

"We have got a group of lads who are honest and hard-working and we have put ourselves into a very strong position in the league now and we need to keep it going to the finish."

Manager Simon Grayson was delighted by his side's display on Saturday, stating: "We have given ourselves an opportunity to focus on the Arsenal game after a good clinical performance. The players could have taken their eye off the ball on Saturday and thought about Arsenal but they didn't and fair play to them.

"It will be the same message on Wednesday. We are underdogs but we have earned the right to bring them back here with a fantastic performance and our fans have deserved that because they have had a lot of bad times over the last few years.

"We have got to be underdogs because Arsenal have some fantastic players. We will look to try and get through and we will go out with the attitude that we can win it and give them a tough night, but we have to be aware of what Arsenal can do because they are a fantastic team."

ARE LEEDS READY FOR THE PREIMERSHIP?

F.A.CUP ARSENAL'S LUCKY ESCAPE

Arsene Wenger admitted it would have been a real ``shocker'' had Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup as a last-minute penalty from captain Cesc Fabregas denied Championship side Leeds a famous victory at Emirates Stadium.

It had looked as if the Gunners were set for a third-round exit for the first time since 1996 after Robert Snodgrass' penalty early in the second half.

However, with just moments remaining, substitute Theo Walcott was tugged back by Ben Parker, and Fabregas stepped up to blast the spot-kick past Kasper Schmeichel, who had been in superb form.

``I must say at first that it was a very difficult game because it was a real cup game and Leeds were up for it, they played well,'' said Wenger. ``It was the kind of game where you felt that it was important not to go 1-0 down. When we were 1-0 down I felt that Wojciech [Szczesny] kept us in the game with a good save from [Luciano] Becchio's header.

``We looked like we would come back, but we were short of time and it was important to keep the momentum and not to go out because that would have been a shocker.''

Wenger continued: ``Even when we equalised we still had three chances at 1-1, but we couldn't take them. At least we are still in the Cup and hopefully we can do it at Leeds.''