Daniel Farke and Adam Underwood line up new signing to replace injured Leeds star, three targets listed
Leeds are entering 2026 looking like a completely different team after the way they entered December.
Less than a month ago, there was major speculation surrounding Daniel Farke’s future at Elland Road, but the German has managed to overcome a tricky festive fixture list to see the Whites sitting 16th in the Premier League table, six points clear of the relegation zone.
In the last few weeks, Leeds have managed to beat Chelsea and Crystal Palace and earn draws with Liverpool, Brentford and Sunderland, meaning they went through December with an unbeaten record.
Leeds kick off 2026 with a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool on New Year’s Day, but confidence is high right now among Farke‘s squad, and the same cannot be said about Thursday’s opposition.
Leeds line up Joe Rodon replacement after latest injury
However, that confidence might have taken a bit of a blow with Joe Rodon unavailable for that game after he went off injured in the draw against Sunderland.
Rodon will miss the game against Liverpool, as well as four other matches this month, which has seemingly sparked the Whites into life in the newly-opened January transfer window.
According to the Daily Mail in their ‘guide to the January window’, Leeds‘ priority this month is to sign a new No 10, with Fulham’s Harry Wilson mentioned as a target.
However, the newspaper claims that Farke and sporting director Adam Underwood also have their sights on a centre-back due to Rodon’s injury.
Who else are Leeds looking at?
The Mail claims that Union Berlin centre-back Danilho Doekhi, who is out of contract in the summer, is someone that Leeds like the look of.
Doekhi is a 27-year-old Dutch defender who is the nephew of former Netherlands star Winston Bogarde.
He’s spent the last four seasons with Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, helping them qualify for the Champions League with a fourth-placed finish in 2022-23.
Another player linked with Leeds in this story is Sevilla attacking midfielder Ruben Vargas, who can also play as a winger.
He’s a 27-year-old Switzerland international, who only joined Sevilla a year ago as Victor Orta‘s final signing as their sports director.
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