Daniel Farke confirms Leeds United transfer plan ahead of January window – Phil Hay
Daniel Farke is looking at signing a new Leeds United left-back in the January transfer window amid injuries in his squad.
Phil Hay of The Athletic reported from the manager’s pre-match press conference through Twitter on 11 December that with Sam Byram and Junior Firpo both unavailable for the visit to Sunderland the following night he was considering taking action in the market.
Jamie Shackleton is also missing for the game at the Stadium of Light and Djed Spence played 70 minutes out of position on the left in the 2-0 win at Blackburn, so the position appears set for action.
Hay wrote: “Farke indicating that he’s giving through to recruiting at left-back in January – and was thinking about that even before Byram/Firpo got injured.
“Farke says Firpo is close to returning to training.”
Unavoidable
Once again the signs all point to a specialist left-back signing being necessary in the upcoming window, but at the same time that has arguably been the case ever since Firpo arrived from Barcelona five windows ago.
His struggles for form and fitness have routinely meant players who aren’t out-and-out left-backs have filled in at the position, and since Stuart Dallas broke his leg that has been problematic.
For a long time in the Premier League it looked like the Whites were forever going to ignore left-back and striker in the transfer market when both appeared glaring requirements, and while they belated addressed the forward position it has still arguably never been sorted on defence.
Max Wober was brought in but was a centre-back who could play on the left, and even regular starter this term Sam Byram was supposed to be a right-back who could do a job on the other side when he returned to Elland Road in the summer.
It is a testament to the 30-year-old’s strong form this year that he appeared to have addressed the issue at last, but he arrived amid fitness concerns and he is now out until the New Year.
Leo Hjelde got a chance at the start of the season but has been axed from the first-team by Farke, and the current options simply can’t be relied upon to regularly be available.
So it seems a foregone conclusion that if Leeds United add anywhere in January it would be at left-back, yet it wouldn’t be the first time if the opportunity to strengthen came and went.
In other Leeds United news, Jeff Stelling was stunned live on air by a Whites development, with Ally McCoist also blown away.