Leeds United failed to sign defensive duo during the summer transfer window.
HIGHLIGHTS
Leeds United missed out on signing defensive duo Luke Thomas and Charlie Taylor during the summer transfer window despite their aggressive approach.
Retaining key players like Wilfried Gnonto was a priority for Leeds, with the Italian forward attracting interest from Everton.
Leeds may consider signing a left-back in January to provide competition for Junior Firpo, their main option in that position.
Journalist Ben Jacobs discusses why Leeds United’s attempts to bring in a defensive pairing during the summer transfer window for GIVEMESPORT
Although Leeds missed out on some targets, they managed to keep hold of some of their key players.
Leeds United news – Latest
After losing a vast number of players during the transfer window, Leeds’ recruitment team had to work hard to ensure their squad had enough quality to compete at the top end of the Championship. The Yorkshire club lost Tyler Adams, Jack Harrison, Brenden Aaronson, Robin Koch, and Luis Sinisterra, just to name a few. In terms of incomings, Daniel Farke managed to convince the likes of Joel Piroe, Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev, Djed Spence, and Joe Rodon, among others, to sign on the dotted line at Elland Road.
Wilfried Gnonto, an Italian forward who submitted a transfer request in an effort to push through a trade to Everton, will have been a top target for Leeds, according to Sky Sports. Four offers were made by the Toffees in an effort to capture the young player, but they were unable to pry him away from the Championship team.
Leeds manager Farke said it was a difficult transfer window with much of uncertainty because of the massive Elland Road departures.
It’s a hell of a task and I said that on my first day here. It’s going to be a long, bumpy road but we need to strengthen the squad. Yes, we definitely need a few more additions if we want to be ambitious.”
Although Leeds managed to get a fair few deals over the line, they missed out on targets with the window slamming shut last Friday. Journalist Jacobs has provided the details, with the Whites failing to secure the signatures of two defenders.
Leeds were quite aggressive in their approach – Ben Jacobs
With Farke having to utilise Sam Byram at left-back this season, who is traditionally a right-sided defender, an extra player in this position could have been useful. Byram has already spent time on the sideline due to injury, so it became a bit of a priority for Leeds in the summer transfer window.
Jacobs has suggested that Leeds tried to sign both Leicester City defender Luke Thomas and Burnley left-back Charlie Taylor, but failed to do so. The journalist admits that Leeds were aggressive with their approach as they knew signing a left-back was urgent. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jacobs said…
Their two main options in the final days and weeks in the window were Luke Thomas at Leicester – multiple approaches were made but Leicester had no desire to loan to a Championship rival, so he ended up going to Sheffield United. And Charlie Taylor at Burnley could have returned to Leeds as well, but there was no appetite on the Burnley part either. So Leeds tried, they were quite aggressive in their approach, particularly for Thomas, because they knew the urgency. But, they just couldn’t get that deal over the line.”
Leeds’ main option at left-back is Junior Firpo, who massively struggled during his time in the Premier League last season. As a result, it’s no surprise that signing some competition in this position was considered a major priority in the final days of the transfer window. Firpo was once a Barcelona player and showed some impressive performances for the Catalan club, including keeping Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe quiet in a Champions League tie.
Will Leeds make a drive in January to bring in a left-back?
Given how strongly they pushed, as Jacobs said, during the summer timeframe, it wouldn’t be surprising if they attempted again in January. It’s debatable if Thomas and Taylor, who according to Transfermarkt are worth a combined £13 million, would even be an improvement over Byram and Firpo, but Farke would benefit from having a third natural left-back in the lineup.
The Yorkshire club, which is presently ranked as the 18th richest club in Europe by Deloitte, will still have plenty of money to spend on reinforcements in January. Clubs who have been dropped from the Premier League must be cautious with their spending, but if Leeds want to guarantee coming back from the bottom at the first opportunity, the owners may have to dig deeper.
