A quiet month is what Daniel Farke wants. Leeds United’s manager has maintained he is not especially interested in ins or outs at Elland Road during the winter transfer window.
But Leeds will be awake if the right player becomes available.
This has always been marked as a difficult time of the season to do business. The window is shorter, prices are inflated, sellers know which buyers are desperate and the available players have often been warming their clubs’ benches since August. Farke only wants to risk the harmony of his dressing room for potential recruits who are too good to ignore.
His Championship leaders have, up to now, proven they are the best squad in English football’s second tier. It’s going to take Premier League quality to improve on what Farke already has, which is why there has been a reluctance from the club to add for the sake of it.
The injury situation is the X-factor.
Patrick Bamford is expected back before the end of the month. By Friday, we will know whether Pascal Struijk will be missing for three weeks or three months. On Monday, Farke revealed fresh issues for Brenden Aaronson and Manor Solomon — but at time of writing neither had been definitively ruled out of tonight’s home game against Norwich City.
As it stands, there is no injury crisis at Leeds. But with 12 days of the winter window to go, do they have the squad depth to get over the promotion line after last season’s play-off final pain?
Goalkeepers
One of the hottest topics among Leeds fans is the goalkeeping department. Illan Meslier’s errors — or baffling Wearside bounces — have been under the spotlight throughout the season. Leeds’ long-time No 1 has failed to halt the decline in public opinion regarding his qualities, even with 15 Championship clean sheets this season and Farke’s repeated support.
No team in the division has more possession (63 per cent on average) than Leeds nor allows fewer shots on their goal (2.04 per 90 minutes). The perception is that Meslier is well-protected and has not had to pull up many trees for those clean sheets. When called upon, is he doing enough to settle nerves for the looming run-in?
Karl Darlow, signed post-relegation in summer 2023 as someone capable of usurping Meslier as first-choice, has not done enough to convince Farke. The 34-year-old has never had a sustained crack of the whip under the German, but his training and cup-tie performances have not turned the screw sufficiently on Meslier.
Darlow has had few opportunities for Leeds (David Rogers/Getty Images)
Alex Cairns is a dependable third-choice, so the depth is there if injuries hit, but is the quality? Unless Meslier dissolves in the three matches between now and the window closing on deadline day (Monday, February 3; 11pm UK time), it is virtually impossible to see another goalkeeper being one of these mid-season unicorns Leeds are waiting on.
In a team performing so well at so many positions, perhaps Farke and the hierarchy feel the man between the sticks is the underperformer they can carry to May without this whole operation going off the rails.
Defenders
Struijk’s injury dictates everything in this department. If this week’s scan says their vice-captain will be unavailable until April, Leeds need to acquire a promotion-level centre-back before the window shuts.
Farke may have been more reassured about riding out Struijk’s absence if Maximilian Wober had proven his fitness since August or Josuha Guilavogui had inspired more confidence as a defender against fourth-tier Harrogate Town in the FA Cup. Wober has impressed when he’s played, but he’s been missing from 12 of the 27 league squads, while Guilavogui looked off the pace against a side from the bottom half of League Two.
The midfield depth — which we will come to — could tempt some managers into making Ethan Ampadu the long-term solution in defence, but Farke’s comments would suggest he has learnt last season’s lesson in that regard. James Debayo and Sam Byram are emergency alternatives in the centre, but not options Leeds should be looking at as EFL title contenders.
The full-back areas are rock solid. Mercifully, neither Junior Firpo nor Byram have had long on the sidelines with their various stresses and strains. The greater debate with them comes in the summer, when both their contracts end.
Midfielders
What was Leeds’ greatest weakness in the early autumn is now overrun with options for Farke. When Ampadu and Ilia Gruev limped off within three days of each other, he was left staring down the engine-room barrel. Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell had 308 league minutes between them as Leeds drove away from Carrow Road on October 1 after a 1-1 draw against Norwich, with teenage rookie Charlie Crew the next cab off the rank.
Free-agent Guilavogui’s arrival three weeks later ultimately eased those concerns, but Rothwell and Tanaka also surpassed all expectations. The latter is arguably leading the race for Leeds’ player of the year award. Ampadu and Gruev have each returned sooner than anticipated too, leaving an embarrassment of riches for Farke to choose from.
Rothwell and Tanaka have surpassed expectations (George Wood/Getty Images)
As with several areas of this squad, Leeds’ midfield is awash with options good enough to start for every other club in their league. Farke’s biggest issue is getting them all enough game time.
Attacking midfielders/wingers
A central attacking midfielder, or a No 10, would be at the top of many Leeds fans’ shopping lists over what’s left of this window. Only Joel Piroe (10) has scored more goals than Aaronson (seven) for the club this season, but the American’s composure, vision, technique and flair have sometimes left a lot to be desired. In short, can he unlock the door to those 10-man defences Farke’s side so often face?
The elephant in the room since the summer window has been the failed attempts to add a creative midfielder. Aaronson emerged as Farke’s preferred option there, but the prospect of what Gustavo Hamer (Sheffield United) or Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa) might have done for this team has been enthralling.
Solomon, Wilfried Gnonto and Largie Ramazani all have the attributes to hurt Championship defences through the centre. However, they are dribblers, not lock-pickers with an eye for a pass. This elusive No 10 has always felt like the final piece of the puzzle.
Solomon, Gnonto, Ramazani and Daniel James complete the best wide department in the division. You almost feel bad for some of Leeds’ opponents when they see two of those four coming on from the bench.
Strikers
As with the goalkeepers, there is the right quantity here, but some corners of the fanbase query the quality. Only three players have scored more Championship goals this season than Piroe. Two of those, Borja Sainz of Norwich and West Bromwich Albion’s Josh Maja, have played 807 and 570 more minutes respectively than him.
Piroe is not perfect. He can drift out of games and cut an isolated figure, but when the ball needs to be buried from inside the box, you would not pick anyone in the division over him. Mateo Joseph presses and links the play, but the goals have not come as often this season as he would have liked.
Joseph has not scored as often as he would have liked (George Wood/Getty Images)
Bamford’s three-and-a-half years of injury misery continue. Leeds would have been promoted last season if he had stayed fit through the run-in, according to Farke. That’s high praise and underlines his potential worth to the manager if he can get fit before the season ends.
However, Bamford cannot be relied upon for some time yet. If Piroe were to get injured before then, there would be understandable anxiety about pinning promotion on Joseph’s 21-year-old shoulders. But which No 9 good enough to lead a Premier League promotion chase is going to come to Leeds this month and sit on the bench waiting for the Dutchman to get crocked?
Farke has mentioned Gnonto as an emergency striker option, if needed.
He has to draw the line somewhere. He cannot run a squad with enough players to cover for three injuries in every position.
(Top photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
