Leeds United should speed up Junior Firpo exit after Josh Doig transfer news on Monday
It is no secret that the left-back berth has been a problem position at Leeds United for some time now.
And it is not a new problem either. It was a position on the pitch that caused them issues in the Premier League last season and it remains an area that needs improvement now.
The return of Sam Byram on a free transfer in the summer helped to an extent but his recent injury has only served to highlight what a problem Leeds have.
Daniel Farke has hinted at recent weeks that left-back is an area Leeds will look to strengthen this month and reports that emerged on Monday (1 January) has already shown it is somewhere they will look to do business.
According to Toro Goal, Leeds have been in contact with Hellas Verona over a £5.2million deal to sign Scottish full-back Josh Doig.
He may only be 21, but Doig – who is also attracting reported interest from Rangers and Monzo – already has 32 Serie A appearances for Verona after joining from Hibernian, for whom he played 62 Scottish Premiership games.
Whether Leeds push on and try and secure Doig’s signature remains up in the air but what it does prove is that one player’s exit should be speeded up this month.
And that man is Junior Firpo. Since arriving from Barcelona in July 2021 it just simply has not worked out for Firpo, who has started just one Championship game this season – admittedly largely because of injury.
Former Eurosport journalist Dean Jones told GiveMeSport (31 December) that Leeds have “growing hope” that they will be able to shift Firpo out of the door on a permanent deal this month.
For everyone’s sake, including Firpo’s, it would be the absolute best solution. The news Leeds are interested in Doig only exacerbates that viewpoint, but whether or not it is Doig who fills the void Leeds need a new answer at left-back, because Firpo certainly isn’t it.
In other Leeds United news, one senior ace wants clarity on his future with a Championship move on the cards.