Leeds United To Sign A Left-back And A Centre-forward – Christiansen’s Ideal Transfer Window Explored
The way Leeds United started off the 2017/18 campaign in the EFL Championship under the tutelage of new manager Thomas Christiansen, automatic promotion back to the top-flight looked like a given.
However, injuries to key players and poor form led to a torrid run of results that sees them down at 7th position in the table after 22 games in the season. While they are just a point shy of Sheffield United who occupy the final playoff position, the club and the manager will know that another run of bad results could see them lose important ground and then face the disappointment of losing out on promotion once again.
That is why the upcoming January transfer window will be extremely crucial to how the rest of the season shapes up for the Whites. The summer window brought mixed results for the Yorkshire outfit, with the likes of Samuel Saiz and Gjanni Alioski proving to be excellent captures, while some other signings – the likes of Mateusz Klich, Vurnon Anita, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (on loan) have been extremely underwhelming.
So, going into January, Leeds will need to tread cautiously in the transfer window if they are to secure a spot in the top six come the end of the season. And here we take a look at what would represent an ideal transfer window for the Elland Road outfit.
When one takes a look at the Leeds United roster, one does get a feeling that there are quite a few names on that list that clearly don’t belong to the plans of the manager. The club would do well to clear some of the dead wood within their ranks.
The likes of Klich, Borthwick-Jackson and Hadi Sacko have hardly been involved this season under Christiansen. Klich, signed from FC Twente, has made a single start in the Championship, while Sacko is yet to feature in the second division. Cameron Borthwick-Jackson has one start to his name and has made it to the bench in the Championship only once in the past 16 games.
Given the situation that the players find themselves in, it is unlikely that they will be happy and considering that there seems little chance of them finding a way through into the first-team on a regular basis, getting rid of them in January would be the best course of action for both players and the club.
At the same time, it is also important that the Whites manage to hold on to their star players. The performances of the likes of Samu Saiz and Pontus Jansson haven’t gone unnoticed and there has been reported interest in their services ahead of the January window. If Leeds are to stand a chance of returning to the Premier League, it is imperative that they retain both Saiz and Jansson and not lose them in the winter.
However, most importantly though, the significance of bringing in a few new players in January cannot be stressed enough. Throughout the season, the left-back position has been a major area of concern for the Whites. Having lost Charlie Taylor in the summer, the club failed to replace him and are paying the price for it, with Gaetano Berardi and Vurnon Anita both failing to impress. A new left-back, without a question, has to be the first piece of business that Christiansen and head of transfers, Victor Orta, should look to do.
Another area that needs to be addressed by the Whites is the centre-forward position. Last season, Chris Wood’s prolific goal-scoring kept them in the hunt and without him this time around, they have been missing that presence at the top. While the likes of Saiz, Kemar Roofe have chipped in with goals and summer signing Pierre-Michel Lasogga too started off fairly well, achieving promotion without a 15-goal striker in the team is a difficult task.
A goalkeeper and another body in the midfield too could prove to be decent additions, but they can cope without adding in those regions.
Verdict
It is very much clear that Leeds need a new left-back and a new centre-forward in the winter without a doubt and at the same time, Christiansen should also look to clear some of the dead weight from the squad. This, coupled with the retention of their key players could place them in a strong position to mount a charge for the playoffs.