15 hours Ago
The fact the January transfer window should be fairly quiet for Leeds United shows that they got things right in the summer. Doing summer business well does not diminish the excitement that comes with the start of a new transfer window but January is rarely a sensible market. Prices for permanent signings are inflated, teams panic-buy and the search for marginal gains to ensure their season is a success is intense.
But this is not a game that Leeds are willing to play unless they really need to. Manager Daniel Farke is on board with that reality. Advertisement At the close of the summer window, the message from owners 49ers Enterprises was clear: they believed Farke had enough depth and talent in the squad to achieve promotion this year.
Some of their speculative signings — identified by the manager himself as being unproven at this level — in Ao Tanaka and Largie Ramazani have paid off. And even with the unforeseeable double injury blow to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev in defensive midfield, the squad has done well and Leeds are where they need to be in the table. But what will January bring for Leeds? What is the manager’s priority? Stability.
The window is as much about maintaining a happy camp as ensuring that Leeds have the quality and depth to see them across the line this season. Farke has been clear on the characteristics he wants players to have if they are to join his group mid-season — he does not want them to disrupt the dressing room, needs them to be of suitable fitness levels to make an immediate impact and wants them to understand their place in the pecking order of starters and subs. Farke has kept expectations relatively low for the window, saying that he is “expecting a pretty quiet January” while acknowledging the need to be responsive to any injuries over the Christmas period.
“Behind the scenes, our recruitment (team), our scouts know who is available for each and every position because if there is a big injury blow or something happens (it might be needed),” he said in late November. “But if nothing happens, I’m expecting a really quiet January because by overdoing things sometimes you can bring a group who is tight, together and on a good path, without meaning it, to a position where they are losing that togetherness and spirit. At the moment, they deliver like this and they earned being in the spotlight, we don’t need seven more additions.
We will stay awake but at the moment there’s no need to hurry anything. Sometimes you can overdo many incomings because we are an attractive club. You can harm your own success and I want a pretty quiet January if nothing major happens but we are prepared if it does.
” Farke is managing expectations. If he promises little and Leeds sign more than one player, it will be a pleasant surprise. Anything less and he can say that he has been honest all along.
What positions will they be looking at in January? The areas where Leeds lack depth are at No 10, full-back and centre-back. While they have players who can cover all three positions in the event of injury or suspension, there is scope to add depth with specialist players. United could reignite their efforts to sign a No 10 after failing to do so in the summer.
Replacing Georginio Rutter with a player of similar quality was always going to be a challenge and despite an improved season, Brenden Aaronson still has his doubters. Experimenting with Joel Piroe as a second striker did not work and is now only used as a tactical option when Leeds are seeing out games. Finding a specialist No 10 is a challenge and Farke said in the summer that he wants a player good enough to start ahead of U.
S. international Aaronson if they are going to spend big on a new signing there. Advertisement Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon have been rock solid all season but Leeds are light at centre-back.
Teenager James Debayo has regularly been in the matchday squad but has limited minutes at Championship level. Maximilian Wober’s reintegration as a United player has been progressing well enough but a steadier back-up would be preferable. A loan player could be the solution here.
Likewise at full-back, options has been stretched with Isaac Schmidt , Junior Firpo and Sam Byram all missing stretches of games in the first half of the season. Firpo and Jayden Bogle have been first-choice starters and while four players for two positions should be enough, Wober has had to deputise at left-back to cover absences. With Farke preferring to use Schmidt in more advanced positions and Byram and Firpo out of contract this summer, January could be a chance for Leeds to explore the market at full-back.
Which players do they want? Leeds will keep their cards close to their chest as they did in the summer. They were interested in James McAtee in the summer, but Pep Guardiola has downplayed suggestions he could leave Manchester City in the coming window. Leeds’ summer interest in Sheffield United ’s Gustavo Hamer and Aston Villa ’s Emiliano Buendia — a player Farke knows well from their shared time at Norwich City — shows the calibre of signing they are chasing in the No 10 position.
The loan market looks like a likely source of new recruits as Leeds make signings with one eye on the potential for a transition into the Premier League in the summer. Last January, United made just one addition and added experience with the arrival of Connor Roberts on loan from Burnley . Who will they be looking to sell? Will anyone move out on loan? Joe Gelhardt has struggled for minutes this season and could be of interest to clubs in January.
Red Bull Salzburg’s director of football has expressed an interest in Wober , according to Laola1 , although it is hard to see him leaving without a replacement. January could prove a valuable chance for Debayo or Charlie Crew to go out on loan and gain experience if Farke’s squad grows and they become less regular members of the match-day squad. Leeds still have a small squad, so a raft of exits, either loan or permanent, seems unlikely.
Who will make the key decisions in January? There have been changes to Leeds’ recruitment team in recent months. Farke remains key to transfer activity and will work with head of recruitment Alex Davies, transfer consultant Nick Hammond, head of football operations Adam Underwood and CEO Angus Kinnear. What is their PSR position? Summer sales mean Leeds are in a good position with PSR.
Their low spend was offset by high fees for Crysencio Summerville (£25million), Archie Gray (£30m) and Rutter (£40m) that eased their PSR pressures. Those EFL regulations will no longer be a concern if they win promotion to the Premier League. What sort of budget do they have? It depends how much the 49ers want to spend.
There has never been any doubting that United’s owners have the funds to back the team but they have worked hard to ensure that they get a fair deal when they sign players. Too often clubs hear of Leeds’ interest in a player and start adding zeros to the price tag — but the days of Leeds engaging in that sort of negotiating are long gone. It is a measured approach and where they feel a player is worth it, funds are available, like with the fees paid for Piroe and Ampadu.
Advertisement We know Leeds have the biggest wage bill in the Championship, which also factors into the playing budget. Where Farke and his team choose to place their resources in the middle of a promotion race and with the potential for a squad rebuild again in the summer remains to be seen. (Top photos: Getty Images).
