Elland Road, the home of Leeds United

Leeds scramble for desperate last gasp transfer before deadline

Jonny is a University of Leeds journalism graduate who became part of the FootballInsider team in Spring 2024, and recently worked as Head of Media for Widnes Vikings Rugby League club. Writing as a freelance reporter and commentator for The Sporting News and StatsPerform, he has covered matches in competitions including the FIFA Men's and Women's World Cups, as well as the Champions League, Women's Euro 2022, Six Nations and the Rugby Union World Cup.

Published on:

03 Feb 2025, 10:31 am

Leeds United are getting "desperate" as they face going through the winter transfer window with no new signings, according to the Daily Mirror.

The Mirror reported via their website on 3 February that having sanctioned four exits since the start of January, United are "scrambling" to make additions to Daniel Farke's squad before the 11pm deadline.

Last-ditch moves for the likes of Southampton striker Cameron Archer, who is the Whites' number one target, cannot be ruled out, with Pascal Struijk and Patrick Bamford's injuries being a cause for concern.

Signing a new number nine is the Peacocks' priority going into the final hours of the window, and despite Southampton bringing in Victor Udoh from Antwerp, they remain reluctant to let Archer leave for LS11 [Graham Smyth, 3 February].

Leeds United risk everything with Deadline Day gamble

Farke, like Marcelo Bielsa before him at Elland Road, is not a manager who will make multiple signings willy-nilly in order to pad out his squad, preferring a smaller core of players to utilise on a regular basis.

This has stood the German and his side in good stead thus far, sitting two points clear at the top of the Championship – and five clear of third place – following Saturday's 7-0 thumping of Cardiff City.

Leeds United have made Cameron Archer their number one priority this month [Credit: Hasan Karim]

However, with the Peacocks' immediate rivals for promotion, namely Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland all making multiple signings in some big-money headline deals, Leeds risk missing the boat.

Failing to capitalise on their strong position in the table by not strengthening has come back to bite the Whites before, falling from ninth in Bielsa's first Premier League season to scrape survival the year after.

A place in the Premier League is on the line this time, and while Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph proved a point against Cardiff, adding Archer to the mix could be the move which rubber-stamps promotion at Elland Road.

In other Leeds news, the Whites have made a “massive loss” on one player whose exit was confirmed in the last few days.

For more Leeds news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.

Leeds United