Exclusive: Orta drops Leeds transfer confession, Bruce reacts: ‘You’ll get bit on the backside’
Alex Bruce has warned Leeds United director of football Victor Orta not to take anything for granted when it comes to the summer transfer window.
The former Elland Road defender, speaking exclusively to Football Insider assistant editor Russell Edge, insists that other clubs could try and take advantage if the Spaniard does not take the initiative.
Speaking to BBC columnist Guillem Balague, Orta insisted he was expecting rivals to be “ethical” and not to try and benefit from the uncertainty caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
As revealed by Football Insider, the Whites have purchase options included in the loan contracts of both Jack Harrison and Jean-Kevin Augustin, although it is unclear as to how the shutdown of the Championship affects the deals.
However, Bruce has warned Orta that he cannot rest on his laurels and expect things to go the way he wants them to, insisting that he should not hesitate to pull the trigger if he wants a player signed.
Bruce told Football Insider: “I don’t think you can expect anything in football when it comes to the pandemic.
“If you expect things just to happen I think you’ll get bit on the backside really. If there’s deals to be done and things in place regarding certain players, you’ve just got to go and do your business, get it done properly, the right way.
“If you start taking chances and risk losing players it can only be a detriment to your club, really.”
Speaking to Balague, Orta said: “If I had a player with the option to buy now, because I expected the season to be finished, and one team uses that date to sell the player for more money to another team, it wouldn’t look good, to use one big problem and benefit.
“This is a crisis and if anybody takes benefit, for me it would be a big surprise. I don’t think the football industry will do this.”
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are well placed to sign a Tottenham first-teamer this summer.