‘No new arrivals at Leeds’ before transfer window shuts - and Hunt heads for exit door

The emergency loan window has always been a biannual event for Leeds. The club often used it to compensate for the investment they failed to make in the weeks of FIFA’s official transfer window.

This season, Leeds have barely shown an interest in the loan market. Or have barely shown an interest until now. Massimo Cellino was not joking when he said that short-term signings were “a waste of money” and the equivalent of “coaching another team’s player.” This type of move he tends to avoid.

The temptation to use this emergency market, especially in the days before Thursday’s deadline, might have got to Cellino on account of the fact that he expects to incur a transfer embargo from the Football League in January – imposed for a breach of Financial Fair Play rules – but the loan window is likely to close at 5pm on Thursday without any new arrivals.

Cellino carried out his business before the start of September and, in his view, 15 summer signings provided enough resources to see Leeds through both halves of the Championship season.

The last-minute deals for striker Brian Montenegro and centre-back Dario Del Fabro – neither of whom have featured significantly for the first team – were sealed with the specific purpose of preparing for a January embargo and guarding against a shortage of players.

Clubs have until this Monday to supply the Football League with their accounts for the 2013-14 season and the governing body will use those figures to determine which clubs have breached their FFP regulations.

There are a number of relatively high earners among those who Redfearn is happy to lose. Noel Hunt, whom Cellino talked about as a potential club captain at the start of the summer, is understood to earn over £10,000 a week. He has played only twice this season. United’s head coach is also ready to listen to offers for Luke Murphy, David Norris, Nicky Ajose and Scott Wootton. Between them those players have started eight league games since August.

Norris is believed to have attracted interest during the summer transfer window and was looking to leave on loan before the start of September. A move failed to materialise. Cellino has considered the idea of negotiating settlements to terminate both his and Hunt’s contracts but both players remain on the books.

Leeds have had expressions of interest in a number of players in the past week and Redfearn and Cellino met on Monday afternoon to discuss their next move. Redfearn is adamant that deals need to be done.

“It’s about getting the squad right,” he said. “It’s not that we don’t have numbers here or that we don’t have experienced players – it’s just that some of those players need a change of scene or a fresh start.”

In the meantime, he is also looking for Leeds to finalise the appointment of an assistant coach, almost a month after he took on the job full-time.

Redfearn has identified Huddersfield Town’s Steve Thompson – his former Bolton Wanderers team-mate – as the coach he wants and Huddersfield manager Chris Powell admitted last week that he would not obstruct an approach from Leeds if Thompson wanted to move to Elland Road.

Huddersfield, though, are insisting on a payment of compensation for Thompson, who joined the club as Mark Robins’s No 2 earlier this year, and they and Leeds are yet to meet in the middle.

“It’s ongoing at the moment and I can’t force it any more than I have,” said Redfearn. “The club are trying to do their bit and that’s where it’s at – an impasse at the moment. Ideally, we can get that sorted sooner rather than later.”