‘A hotline’ – Leeds make ‘very smart’ move amid exciting transfer ‘possibilities’

Uwe Rosler is not exaggerating. At one point, the former Leeds United and Fleetwood Town boss spoke to Gretar Steinsson more than his wife.

“We had a very hot phone line, that’s for sure,” smiled the German.

Those were formative days for Steinsson as the technical director took his first big steps at Fleetwood on a journey that took the Icelander to Leeds, the club he supported as a boy. It sounds like a dream, but Steinsson has always had such a strategic role in mind – even since he was still playing in his mid-twenties.

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Steinsson looked to bring behind-the-scenes knowledge during game time in six different countries – even factoring in what goes on in the analytics and medical departments – and the man who won dozens of caps for his country completed a postgraduate degree . in football management at the Johan Cruyff Institute. After hanging up his boots following a career-ending knee injury in 2013, the multilingual served as assistant technical director at former club AZ Alkmaar before taking up his first technical director role at Fleetwood at only 33 years old.

If it seemed like a left-field move, it’s worth noting that Steinsson has roots in the North West from his time at Bolton Wanderers, and the former defender set out his vision when he first met Fleetwood’s hierarchy 10 months ago. So what did Steinsson bring to Fleetwood?

“Gretar was a typical Scandinavian and Icelandic,” Rosler told Leeds Live. “He had this calm about him in contrast to me and the owner. He balanced very well and I could trust him.

“We were clear about what we wanted and he tried to work to get the best solutions that we could get with a very limited budget. However, we managed to bring players to our club primarily based on our way of playing and , also our credibility to play them.

“We didn’t have the money, status or appeal to bring the finished goods to Fleetwood Town, so we had to be clever in other areas, and Gretar was very clever. He had a very good network of contacts with football clubs who were prepared to give us their talents on loan or with an option to buy and that’s how we worked.

Steinsson’s work at Fleetwood did not go unnoticed and the straight-talker had subsequent spells as chief European scout and head of recruitment and development at Everton; as advisor to the Icelandic FA; and as performance director at Spurs before joining Leeds last summer. While the technical director’s role is vast, whether helping to connect different departments such as the academy, loans and medical and sports science, or setting the club’s long-term strategy, Steinsson has traditionally specialized in recruitment over the years.

Daniel Farke has already highlighted the “tremendous support” he received in this area from Steinsson, who quickly became someone the Leeds boss could “trust to work in the background” during a chaotic summer window a year. That was also Rosler’s experience.

“Gretar is a very strong communicator and he communicates in a very modern way,” said the former Fleetwood manager. “Use words wisely, but I knew where I stood all along. It was always clear what I could and couldn’t do and who I could and couldn’t go.

“I felt he was always very responsible with what he did. He wasn’t throwing money away left, right and center because we didn’t have it. We had to think very wisely about how we spent the money we had, especially in the first year.

“We barely had a bad signing because we couldn’t afford it. He always had the best interests of the club at heart, but he wanted us to succeed and he was ambitious. He wanted to help me in the best way possible. “

Steinsson has set out to help Farke as he works alongside the Leeds boss, head of recruitment Jordan Miles, influential consultant Nick Hammond and CEO Angus Kinnear. Steinsson, for example, has dealt with Swansea City’s owners and flew to Holland last summer to meet Joel Piroe, the forward’s family and his agent, Theo Roebbers.

Within hours, Steinsson detailed Leeds’ long-standing interest and the homework the club had done for the 24-year-old. Steinsson quickly won the trust of Piroe and his camp, who felt the Dutchman could move to the “next level” at Leeds after Leicester City, Southampton and Atalanta had previously shown interest.

Piroe has had some testing moments in his debut campaign – even those closest to the £10.5m signing admit he needs to “learn a few things” – but watching it gives you an idea of ​​how Steinsson operates.

“Gretar has a large network and has been doing this for some time,” added Rosler. “He won’t panic. He was a player and leader in a football club, so he knows all the angles.

“Leeds is a completely different type of fish, but there are many more opportunities. The club can attract completely different types of players with completely different possibilities financially.”