Beren Cross: Bielsa unlikely to change January transfer plans despite injuries
Beren Cross has suggested he expects Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa to stick to his guns in January despite the injury worries.
The Elland Road outfit could be without the trio of Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper for Saturday’s (11 December) trip to Chelsea due to knocks sustained against Brentford last Sunday (5 December).
The Telegraph have reported that the defensive duo could be out for many weeks after they were withdrawn against the Bees, and while many would reckon that should mean more business for the Whites next month, the Leeds-Live journalist believes that may not be the case.
Cross replied during a Q and A session on the website: “In short, we won’t know the official facts until tomorrow afternoon (Thursday 9 December) when Bielsa speaks to the press.
“There was some talk online initially about Bamford and Phillips being out for a long period and then two national titles ran stories last night. Recent history would suggest their stories would not have run without some truth to them.
“I still don’t think Bielsa would be minded to change his January requests with these injuries. He will see Luke Ayling, Pascal Struijk and Robin Koch as his cover for Cooper, Adam Forshaw is now fit to fill in for Phillips, while Junior Firpo, Jamie Shackleton and Luke Ayling mean Stuart Dallas can go into the middle, and Tyler Roberts or Rodrigo are in place to keep covering for Bamford. This is the way he sees things.”
Disastrous?
Leeds did fairly well in the absence of Bamford, managing to pick up all three wins without him, but they could struggle without Phillips.
Cooper will not be particularly missed a lot as Bielsa has plenty of options capable of playing in central defence, but the same cannot be said of the defensive midfield department.
The England international was unavailable against Southampton and Wolves earlier this season, and it was not surprising that Leeds picked up just a point from both games.
They lost seven out of the nine Premier League games Phillips missed in 2020-21, and with reports suggesting he could be out until February, being without him for around nine or two games could be disastrous.
He is the only player that has proven he is irreplaceable in the Whites starting XI, and bringing in someone capable of replicating his performances next month could be their best chance to avoid a full-blown relegation battle.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites have mapped out plans to avoid relegation scrap as January transfer budget claim emerges.