This week, Leeds United Managing Director Robbie Evans was interviewed by media outlets including The Athletic at the club's training ground.

He discussed various topics, including the summer transfer window, the club's Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) situation, deadline day operations, missed targets, and the future of head coach Daniel Farke.

Below are some of his answers from Thursday's interview.

Why was it surprising that Struijk had to be sold to meet PSR requirements?

I was somewhat surprised that some people were so optimistic last summer about the room we had regarding PSR. We had already stated clearly in September last year that we had exhausted our quota.

You can never be completely certain of your final PSR or SCR position before the end of the season, as a club's financial situation continues to evolve.

Going into last season, I was fairly confident that we would need to sell some players in June. To be frank, our FA Cup run, finishing 14th, and very limited recruitment in January ultimately meant we only needed to sell one player.

By August last year, we were prepared to sell two players if necessary, because our aim at that time was to strengthen the squad as much as possible to improve our chances of staying up. That was a risk we took.

We knew this issue might arise in June this year, and Pascal ultimately became the solution. Fortunately, we only needed to sell one player, no more.

How much did Struijk's initial willingness to leave help in recruiting Muharemovic?

We prepared for this possibility throughout the season, and we conducted extensive research for left-footed centre-backs last year.

Once it became clear Pascal would leave, we started looking for a replacement. Getting that information early certainly helped a lot.

What do you see in Muharemovic?

Last summer, our focus was "raising the team's level," while this year it's about raising both the baseline and ceiling, while making the squad younger.

Rather than only seeking players with extensive experience in the top five leagues, this year we prioritized players who already have a certain level of ability but also have room for further development.

Daniel, Alex, and Adam's collective assessment of Muharemovic is that he's already at a high level but still has room to grow, making him a valuable investment.

We also added some experienced players like Elvedi, Bahl, and Wilson.

This summer, we wanted a stronger team with improvements that last longer. Because last year, if we brought in mostly players around 27 years old, it wouldn't really solve our long-term development challenges.

Muharemovic can provide a longer development cycle for the team, giving us more time to continue building and improving the squad.

Were you always confident about signing Trafford?

I always maintain "healthy anxiety." You're never completely certain until a player actually signs the contract.

James Trafford is an England international, and we're confident he will be our future number one goalkeeper. You must constantly remain vigilant against competition, because he's already a world-class player now, yet still very young and continuing to develop.

This concern about competition actually helps us, because we were very proactive throughout the process, working hard to communicate wisely with his team, respond to their needs, and show them how this project fits him, his family, and his career.

You can never really relax until a player signs the contract. The same applies to Trafford, because we know that any club in the world, if a goalkeeper suddenly gets injured, can immediately come in for him.

How does the club's image change when you pitch Leeds United to transfer targets?

We always emphasize the club's development project, the support it offers, and the club itself.

For a player like Muharemovic, as a 23-year-old Bosnian player, he might not know that Leeds United is actually one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Much of our work is actually explaining to them that even during a period of relegation, and even in the Championship, Leeds United still has a massive fanbase and influence.

You don't need to exaggerate or sugarcoat the project; it's more about explaining it to them, because Leeds United really is a very big club.

This year, that work is certainly easier. Last summer, some players, even if we knew they were interested, might not have been willing to join.

But having a good season in the Premier League certainly helps. There's also a big difference between finishing 14th and narrowly avoiding relegation.

The club's external perception is now stable. Agents see this, and players see this, so they want to be part of a project that's moving forward.

What actually happened with Shea Charles?

We have overall squad development goals, financial constraints, and also need to consider what sacrifices or compromises would be necessary if we signed this player.

Ultimately, we reached a point where we felt the deal no longer made sense for us, so we chose to withdraw.

This was more of a market opportunity. There weren't many midfielders available at that time, and we thought the options that matched our age requirements, player profile, and team needs were very limited.

When we failed to sign him, it didn't mean we desperately needed another midfielder, because in reality, our midfield is quite strong.

We did evaluate it, but ultimately decided it wasn't a deal worth the cost, so the best decision was to maintain discipline and withdraw.

What was it like inside the club on transfer deadline day?

It was a very intense day. I'm not sure I'd call it chaotic, but it was certainly very tense.

The real hero of the day was probably Hannah Cox, our Head of Football Administration. She, along with Assistant Club Secretary Abigail Stanton, effectively completed five deals in one afternoon, including two loans, two buy options, and Wilfried Gnonto's departure.

We were able to execute this operation because we had planned it ahead and prepared Melvyn Bahl and Jean-Matteo Bahoya, with the recruitment department and coaching staff all involved.

When you have multiple layers of preparation, you can react quickly when external circumstances change. I'm very proud of the entire team for their execution, flexibility, and strong capabilities demonstrated on deadline day.

But as you can see, the biggest challenge with deadline day across the league isn't just the "drama" surrounding it, but also many things beyond your control.

You ultimately have to rely on players and their agents, other clubs, different law firms, and even international contract databases. Everything happens simultaneously.

The biggest risk on deadline day is that you can't completely control the outcome.

For example, after 11 p.m., we were still coordinating with three different law firms, modifying four different documents from various countries.

It feels good that it all got done in the end, and I'm glad it looked calm and orderly from the outside. But in reality, it was a very stressful day. Hannah kindly asked me never to put her through that again.

To be able to sign two great players on the terms we ultimately got is a win for us. But it was never intended to be this way, because we want to avoid our overall team-building strategy depending on deadline day deals.

This was also one of the biggest regrets from last summer. The Facundo Buonanotte deal fell through, and we ultimately had to find a solution on deadline day, which we wanted to avoid.

This year, our internal mandate was: "Don't let the entire team-building depend on deadline day."

To be frank, we achieved that. But at the same time, the deals we completed that day also made the team stronger, so the final result is definitely positive.

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