Jaka Bijol’s Leeds career in jeopardy as Daniel Farke swats away question
Daniel Farke has a big team selection issue to solve at Leeds, and needs to put things right against West Ham.
The Whites will be hoping that Noah Okafor’s injury isn’t too serious, after they were left with only Jack Harrison as a replacement in Leeds’ 2-0 defeat to Burnley on Saturday.
Willy Gnonto remains out through injury, as Leeds look short of attacking options.
Attack isn’t the only area of Leeds’ concerns, as Farke’s side have only managed to keep one clean sheet so far in the Premier League.
Centre-back Jaka Bijol has struggled for minutes at Leeds, and Farke‘s latest admission could spell trouble for the Slovenian.
Daniel Farke is not interested in starting Jaka Bijol any time soon
Bijol arrived at Leeds with a pedigree of success in Italy’s Serie A, as he was a standout for Udinese.
So far at LS11, Bijol has only managed one appearance, which came in Leeds’ Carabao Cup loss to Sheffield Wednesday.
- Bijol is a regular on Leeds’ bench
- Farke opts to use Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk
- Bijol cost Leeds over £10m
The defender was benched once again for Leeds in the Premier League on Saturday, and Farke’s response to questions over why Bijol didn’t start against Burnley may worry further.
“That was not the problem today. When you don’t have a perfect result, everyone is crying for change, but we don’t change just for the sake of it,” said Farke, as quoted by Leeds Live on Monday.
“When you go into the details with what the centre-backs have done so far during the season, then there’s not really much to criticise. The centre-backs have nothing to do with the goals.”
However, there is a strong case for Bijol to start in this Leeds side against West Ham.
- Read more: Leeds only wanted loan for Emi Buendia despite him being for sale, he is now on fire at Aston Villa
There is a serious case for Bijol to start over Pascal Struijk
Leeds’ game against Burnley came as a fixture that could be looked back on as crucial at the end of the season, as both the Whites and the Clarets are rivalling each other to stay in the Premier League this season.
Joe Rodon has been excellent for Leeds and further impressed while away with Wales during the international break, as he looks a staple in Farke’s back line.
Pascal Struijk‘s performance against Burnley was poor, and conceding two to a side like Scott Parker’s is always going to ring alarm bells around defensive issues.
| Tackles | Interceptions | Ariel duels (won) | Rating |
| 0 | 0 | 13 (7) | 6.8 |
Bijol impressed for Slovenia during the international break, despite struggling for game-time at Leeds, and if the defender is still struggling for minutes in January, he could be leave Elland Road.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Leeds United news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account –@motleedsnews