Leeds United set to take deadline day ‘risk’ after Luke Thomas snub amid Daniel Farke verdict on Junior Firpo – Graham Smyth
Leeds United are set to go through deadline day without signing a left-back after missing out on Luke Thomas from Leicester, as Daniel Farke is “impressed” with Junior Firpo, according to Graham Smyth.
The Yorkshire Evening Post journalist reported on the Inside Elland Road podcast Thursday (31 August) that up to Wednesday morning the club were still hoping to land Thomas, but since the manager thinks Firpo will be “really good” in the second tier they now don’t have a left-back “on the agenda”, in what he calls “a risk”.
Thomas completed a loan move to Sheffield United on Thursday morning, while the Whites have since focused all their attention on central midfield, with Ilia Gruev’s arrival confirmed Thursday and Glen Kamara set for a medical [Fabrizio Romano, 31 August].
Smyth said: “Beyond [Gruev and Kamara] there might not be a great deal else that happens. As far as we’re aware there’s no left-back on the agenda right now.
“As of yesterday morning Leeds were still monitoring Luke Thomas and hoping for a change in that, but even then we were getting the sense that if Thomas didn’t come off Leeds might just go with what they’ve got.
“Farke is said to be impressed with Junior Firpo, thinks he’ll be really good in the Championship. Sam Byram we know is a solid one.
“For me it’s a risk. You’re basically asking a pair of, recently, very injury-prone players to basically fulfil a 46-game season between them and hope to ensure any injuries they pick up are not concurrent, but of course both are currently injured.
“I think Jamie Shackleton is seen as part of the cover in that area [but] I think it would have put a lot of minds at east if they’d have got a left-back”.
Here we go again
Leeds United fell into exactly this trap a year ago and look where it got them. Firpo spent most of the season injured while Pascal Struijk filled in and then after a brief renaissance he had an awful run of form late in the campaign and helped contribute to relegation to the second tier.
In fairness he was far from alone in being responsible for that, and while he surely should do better in the Championship it is indeed a risk to rely on him either way when his fitness record is so patchy, especially when Byram’s is as well.
Left-back and striker were problem positions all season last term as both were neglected during the summer, then Firpo and Patrick Bamford both struggled to be available just as many had feared.
The Whites finally addressed one of those issues by signing Joel Piroe from Swansea this summer, but it seems like taking a needless gamble to not land a left-back as well.
Fans have been calling for a new specialist option for months, and while a club can’t do everything the supporters want in the market this one has been clearly needed for a long time.
All the evidence Farke and his hierarchy needed should come from the fact that neither the top two options are available already, so the fanbase will be desperately hoping this stance changes at some point on deadline day.
In other Leeds United news, two key recruitment figures left Elland Road with an expected signing still not done.