Arsenal Looking at Leeds Youngster

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is ready to launch a move for Leeds United prospect Monty Gimpel, a player the Whites managed to snap up ahead of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool earlier this year.Leeds boss Simon Grayson managed to snap up the promising young defender after assuring him that first-team football would be just around the corner at Elland Road.Gimpel joined Leeds under the assumption that whilst the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool were more reputable clubs, the ability to play his football in the Championship rather than a reserve team would only enhance his career.However, Gimpel is still yet to feature for the Leeds United first team, despite putting in a series of impressing performances for the reserves.Whilst Gimpel’s agent has been quick to counter the suggestions that he is now primed for a move to Arsenal, the opportunity to move to the Premier League could prove too tempting to refuse.

Reserves Win 5-0

A reserve XI put five past Chesterfield in a behind-closed-doors game at Thorp Arch on Monday.
The senior experience in a young United side was provided Lloyd Sam and Billy Paynter, and the former netted our third goal of the game shortly after the hour-mark when he passed two defenders after a short corner.Sam was also the architect for a Nathan Turner striker just after half-time while Will Hatfield was also among the scorers in what was a comfortable win.Reserve team manager Neil Redfearn was full of praise for Hatfield, but was delighted with the overall team performance.Redfearn said: "We were always in control and Monty Gimple and Ross Killock looked strong and assured at the back. Sam Byram got forward to good effect from right back and in midfield Nathan Turner capped off a fine display with a well taken goal."Our wide players were a constant threat, both creating and scoring goals and Will Hatfield married a great work ethic with craft and guile."

United: Cairns, Byram, Gimple, Killock, L.Turner, Trialist (Lenighan 72), N.Turner, Mccann(Clamp 80), Sam(Snodin 72), Hatfield(Payne 72) Paynter( Poleon 72).

Reserves Defeat Middlesbrough

Goals from Will Hatfield and Dominic Poleon secured Leeds United a behind-closed-doors win against Middlesbrough at Thorp Arch on Tuesday.Finnish internationals Mike Vayrynen and Mikael Forssell both featured in the game along with fellow senior pros Paul Rachubka and Paul Connolly.Vayrynen again impressed in midfield alongside Simon Lenighan while Ross Killock looked strong at centre-half, partnering Lewis Turner.
United boss Simon Grayson said: "It was another opportunity for the players to get some time on the pitch. It was largely a young side, but in the case of the senior boys, it was important for them in terms of match fitness."
United: Rachubka (Grimes 60), Connolly (Gimple 60), Killock, L.Turner, Taylor, Trialist (Mowatt 60), Vayrynen (Byram 60), Lenighan, N.Turner, Forssell (Poleon60 ), Hatfield.

Leeds United: Redfearn’s predicting big things for Gimpel

MANY an aspiring career has been forged – or floundered – in the tough, unforgiving arena of non-league football.Talking the talk and looking the part in the cossetted environment of leading football academies is one thing, but hands-on muck-and-nettles experience is quite another.Part of football’s learning curve is for managers and coaches to regularly send out young players to grassroots clubs to get some “wool on their backs” and it has often turned many into men.Not 18 until September, United newcomer Monty Gimpel is at the very start of his footballing odyssey and as academy boss Neil Redfearn sagely suggests, still has plenty to learn.But the signs are certainly promising with the teenager seeming to have a shrewd head on young shoulders.Alerted to the attention of Tooting boss Mark Beard last summer, while he was helping out with coaching at Ardingly College, German-born Gimpel – currently completing A levels – elected to continue his footballing education and sat on his own two feet in the Ryman League, alongside his scholastic studies.The progress of tall centre-half Gimpel – who won the Independent Schools Under-16s player of the yard award last season – soon came under the radar of several clubs, including United.And after sensibly concentrating on his education, Gimpel will focus on his burgeoning football career at United next term, having agreed a one-year professional deal.

United Under-18s coach Redfearn, who took a look at Gimpel in a handful of under-18s games in the second half of last term, said: “It was (chief scout) Mervyn Day who alerted us to him and he’d heard about him on the circuit.

“He’d actually been playing for Tooting and Mitcham’s first team, on and off, in non-league and for someone so young, it was quite a big thing.

“Even though the standard is not great, it’s still semi-pro and a tough and competitive environment, particularly in the position he plays at centre-back.

“It’s important he can handle the rough and tumble side of it.

“But we got him up and he trained with us. We knew there was a little bit of interest from other clubs, but we managed to play him in a couple of games and I think the first one we played him in was the Scunthorpe away game in the FA Youth Cup.

“He just looked really at home and didn’t look flustered and technically, he was quite good as a centre-back.

“He’s a good physique and is going to be 6ft 1in or 6ft 2in or something. But he’s still a lot of developing to go on and is right at the beginning of his learning process.

“Obviously as a centre-half in such a key position, he’s got to learn pretty quickly. But he’s an intelligent boy who loves the game with a really disciplined mentality and hopefully, we’ve got something of a prospect on our hands.”

United’s production line of young talent came in for sharp criticism in the not-so-distant past, but the signs are things are being to change in a positive direction.

Along with the signing of Gimpel, United also have high hopes for young keeper Alex Cairns, 18, who has penned his first 12-month pro deal with the option of another year, while the Turner twins – midfielder Nathan and defender Lewis – also earned rave reviews last term – also signing professional forms for next term.

Former Everton youngster Zac Thompson is another to sign up – with second-year scholars Sanchez Payne and Joe McCann having previously agreed deals – with United’s young guns ultimately coming of age after a wretched start to last season, when they had to wait until early November for their first win in the FA Academy Group D.

Out of adversity came strength, with last season’s under-18s side beaten just four times in the league from November, while also reaching the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup before bowing out to a strong Aston Villa side in their fifth-round clash.

Redfearn added: “If you think back, in the first 10 games, the side just took something like a point in the youth league.

“Then, in the next 18, we took something like 34, which is top-three form.

“We also had a decent little run in the youth cup got knocked out by last season’s finalists in Villa, so there was no shame in that.

“The fact we had a cup run and our Premier Youth League form turned around made people sit up and look. They have got to take great credit from the transformation. And to get four (professional deals) out of the back of it is brilliant.

“The improvement was there to see and the results were a reflection of that. But the most important thing is individual performances.

“To be fair, attitudes have been the key with Cairns, the Turner brothers and Zac Thompson. That’s the overriding thing.

“The Turner brothers are a really blank canvas and they want to learn and have got ability, no two ways about that.

“But they have a desire and are fantastic to work with and coach.

“You can always tell; with good players, you only have to tell them things once.

“The ones who learn quickly and take things on board are the ones who progress.

“But they have all only got one foot on the rung of the ladder and there’s a lot more learning to go on.

“Now, it’s making the transition from the protective environment of an academy system perhaps to the cut and thrust of the professional environment and working with the first-team players. It’s a big jump.

“This summer, it’s important they get their rest. They have had a tough season, particularly the kids who were playing in a lot of reserve-team fixtures at the end of the season as well.

“It was great for them, but often they were playing Saturday-Tuesday, Saturday-Tuesday, so they need time to recover as well.”

Leeds United beat of Liverpool and Chelsea for German wonderkid

Leeds have beaten off competition from Liverpool and Chelsea to sign German teenage sensation Monty Gimpel.
The 17-year-old defender, who has been part of Leeds' YTS progamme this season, will sign a one-year professional deal with Simon Grayson's side this week despite firm interest from the two Premier League clubs and has been told he could be in contention for the first team after just six months' full training.Gimpel, who is finishing his studies at Ardingly College in West Sussex - the school Frank Lampard went to - won the independent schools football association(ISFA) U16 Player of the Year last season.
Ardingly College Head of Football, Nick Tester, who also once played for the England ISFA, said: “After just 5 minutes of seeing Monty play I knew we had one of the best players I had seen on the schools’ circuit and a young man who could go far in the sport. His team captain Jon, who has been Highly Commended for his outstanding performances during the 2009-10 season,said he is probably the most dedicated sportsman I have ever worked with. He has an exceptional talent and I firmly believe he has a future in football.”
Tooting & Mitcham boss Mark Beard revealed in June 2010 it was his classroom connections that has enabled the Terrors to bring German teenage sensation to Imperial Fields for a short time before Leeds made him an offer to train with them.Beard said: “The move came about as I help out with the coaching at Ardingly School in Wessex.

“The school went on tour to Valencia last summer and when we were heading out there we were told a German kid was going to join up with us as he was enrolling at the school.

“Apparently he had been captain and player of the year for Hanover’s youth team, but I did not pay that much attention to it.

“We ended up playing the Valencia youth team and Monty played at centre half and he was unbelievable.

“Since then I have been working with him at the school and he is an amazing talent.

“As he wants to carry on his education he is not interested in a pro club yet, so we have managed to tempt him down to Tooting at least for this season.”

The 6ft plus defender is making waves in his native country, with a German documentary crew filming a special programme on these shores last week.

And with Leeds United tracking the youngster, Beard reckons Tooting fans are in for a real treat.

He added: “Monty has everything he needs to be a great professional footballer.

“He has two good feet, he is quick and strong in the air.

“He is extremely comfortable on the ball and he reads the game superbly