Gray keeps cool as transfer window looms

Leeds caretaker manager Eddie Gray remains unconcerned about the impending transfer window which is set to open with his club facing an uncertain future.

Gray’s club is up for sale, deep in debt and now on an emotional downer after a wretched defeat against fellow relegation candidates Wolves at Molineux to end a year to forget for all at Elland Road.

Acting chairman Trevor Birch has stated several times that Leeds have no need to sell any of their stars, but supporters will not be happy until the clock strikes midnight to signal the start of February.

If no player has been moved on by that date then Leeds fans can be assured Birch was as good as his word.

Few will forget January this year when Olivier Dacourt, Lee Bowyer, Robbie Fowler and Jonathan Woodgate were all sold to help ease the financial crisis.

It is unlikely anyone will be surprised if Mark Viduka, Alan Smith or Paul Robinson are transferred this time – even though Birch has delivered strong assurances to the contrary.

Viduka is the most likely candidate to leave – but then that has been the case for at least two years.

But as Gray said: “As far as I am concerned, it is still speculation.

“I have not heard of any contact from anyone – but as to whether he will be here at the end of February, I don’t know.

“As I said at the start, I am just getting on with the job day to day. I am still enjoying it – although not when we get beat.

“I am not worried about the transfer window, because you can’t do anything about it. We want to keep our players, and I am sure the club will do their utmost to keep them.

“Trevor has said we don’t need to sell players, so we will just have to wait and see what happens.”

Gray was left bitterly disappointed by a performance which yesterday undermined the hard work of an unbeaten five-game run.

Centre-back Michael Duberry scored the opener for Leeds in the third minute. But Alan Smith’s own goal 15 minutes later turned the game as Wolves grew in confidence, eventually taking the lead two minutes after the interval through Steffen Iversen.

When Leeds captain Dominic Matteo was sent off 14 minutes from time, with him went United’s hope of salvaging a point – and Wolves confirmed that when Iversen scored again in injury time.

Gray had no complaints with the result, and his opposite number Dave Jones said: “If we had not come away with three points we would have been very disappointed.

“Full credit to the boys, because no one let their head go down. We kept plugging away and we played some good football as well.

“We have been doing that, even against the likes of Arsenal. But the difference is we took our chances – and, as I have said all along, goals change games.

“I think sometimes because you are down there people don’t give you the credit for some of the football you play.

“But we were on our game – and when we are like that we are capable of beating any team.”