David Prutton shares ‘breaking the bank’ Leeds United January transfer verdict as Luke Ayling news emerges
David Prutton has admitted that he can’t see Leeds United “breaking the bank” for a new full-back during the January transfer window, following Luke Ayling’s Elland Road exit.
The 32-year-old defender has seemingly brought an end to his career with the Whites as he completed a loan switch to Middlesbrough until the end of the season when his contract at Elland Road expires.
Ayling’s exit, partnered with the decision to send Djed Spence back to Tottenham has left Daniel Farke short of defensive options, but Sky Sports host Prutton doesn’t think Leeds will spend big bucks to sign a new full-back.
Writing for the Yorkshire Evening Post (13 January) he said: “The exits of Spence and Ayling has left Leeds with four full-backs in Sam Byram, Junior Firpo, Jamie Shackleton and Archie Gray and the latter duo are natural midfielders.
“You have to be mindful of Sam Byram’s injury record and also Junior Firpo’s. I don’t mean this in a nasty way but I think it’s fair to say that on the pitch Firpo owes Leeds a run in the team and his frustration will be about having not been able to play as much as he has done.
“With Sam, once he does play, he is a very reliable man in that position. Archie, we know all about and then there is Jamie Shackleton too. If someone properly sizeable comes up or you get a Premier League loanee in then fair enough.
“But I’m not thinking from the outside looking in that Leeds go breaking the bank for a full-back.”
Won’t break the bank
In an ideal world, Leeds United would pick up at least one new full-back option before the January window closes because, as Prutton suggests, they’re now relying on four players, two of them are injury prone and the other pair are more natural midfielders.
So far this season, all four of them have impressed when fit and available, but that doesn’t mean that they will be able to maintain that for the second half of the season.
However, Leeds are not in a position to just throw money at the problem and signing a player better than the options already at Elland Road will not be an easy task. Such a deal will be expensive and once again as Prutton suggested, the Whites are unlikely to break the bank.
There is a possibility a Premier League loan or a surprise option may appear to Farke before the end of the month, but at the moment it seems incredibly likely that the Whites will go with what they have for the second half of the campaign.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites may be set for a player exodus this summer following Ayling’s departure