Leeds United may not need Pascal Struijk successor with ace up Daniel Farke's sleeve

Leeds United have lost a key member of their squad in Pascal Struijk in the ongoing transfer window.

The defender has completed a move to Brighton & Hove Albion, with the Whites deciding to cash in due to just one year remaining on his contract in LS11.

There have been conflicting reports about the final fee, but the West Yorkshire outfit claim the deal could rise to £20million.

With Struijk on his way out, the Elland Road hierarchy will be expected to sign a replacement, but Daniel Farke may already have a plan up his sleeve.

The 49-year-old head coach moved to a three-at-the-back system midway through the 2025-26 campaign, which brought the West Yorkshire outfit major success.

While the German manager can always revert to playing four defenders in the starting lineup, he may still have the personnel to fit into the 5-3-2 formation.

Gabriel Gudmundsson gives Leeds United one solution after World Cup displays

Gabriel Gudmundsson was hailed by the Swedish media for his performance against France in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup.

The 27-year-old started as one of the three centre-backs in the 3-0 loss to Les Bleus at the New Jersey Stadium on 30 June, standing out despite his nation's heavy defeat.

Farke may not need a replacement for Struijk after all, as Gudmundsson has shown he's more than capable of slotting in a back three after keeping his wits against France's sensational attack.

Another option the German manager could turn to is James Justin, who's capable of playing across the backline and can certainly slot in as the left-centre-back, considering he has played at left-back for the Whites.

Daniel Farke can always return to what he knows best at Elland Road

Playing five defenders became a necessity for Leeds in the 2025-26 campaign as they continued to ship in goals and struggled to create opportunities at the other end.

Farke surprisingly went against his philosophy of playing possession-based attacking football in favour of defensive solidity at Elland Road, but there's no reason he can't turn back to his seemingly preferred ideas.

Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol have shown they're capable enough to form a solid partnership at the West Yorkshire outfit, and with the imminent arrival of someone like Harry Wilson, the German manager will have more talent to work with up top.

Either way, whether it's centrally or at full-back, Leeds will need to sign more depth, that's guaranteed.