Leeds United have not used the January transfer window effectively in recent years but that may have to change if their current injury situation does not improve.
Daniel Farke was without five of his international stars for last week’s 2-2 draw away at Sunderland, with two of them in Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev set to be out long-term.
Manor Solomon, Dan James and Max Wober were all also absent at the Stadium of Light, with the latter yet to play a single minute of league football this season due to injury.
Solomon and James are expected to return against Sheffield United, but the amount of matches both have missed through injury is a concern.
Leeds‘ only signing of last season’s January window was Connor Roberts but it already feels like more than one will be needed this time around.
With that in mind, here is one player Leeds should sign and one they should sell when the market reopens.
Sign – Harry Wilson
Farke’s biggest complaint about the summer was Leeds’ failure to add a number 10, though Brenden Aaronson has impressed in that role since his return to Elland Road.
However, it would be unfair to the place the demands of a 46-game season on his shoulders, and so some competition could really do with being brought in.
One player who would fit the profile of what Leeds need is Harry Wilson, amid his struggles for game time at Fulham.
Wilson has played just 36 minutes of football in the Premier League this season, with the last of those appearances coming all the way back in August.
Leeds’ current set of attacking options really lack a left-footer who can play both out wide or centrally, which is exactly the type of profile Wilson is.
Farke has gone on record about his love for Welsh players and so with James, Ampadu and Joe Rodon already at the club, Wilson surely wouldn’t need much persuading to make the move.
The 27-year-old has an eye for goal from the edge of the box, and takes a mean set-piece, both of which are traits Leeds’ squad is currently lacking.
His record at Championship level is also absolutely phenomenal. During Fulham’s promotion winning campaign of 2021/22, Wilson scored 10 goals and provided 20 assists in 41 matches. He is exactly the type of loan signing who could get Leeds over the line.
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Sell – Joe Gelhardt
Though Leeds do lack another number 10, if Wilson was to come in, they would also need to move one out to balance the books.
And the one who makes the most sense from Leeds’ current squad is undoubtedly Joe Gelhardt, who plays in a similar position to Wilson.
Unfortunately, it very much feels as though Farke does not trust Gelhardt as he has played just 43 minutes of Championship football since the third game of last season.
At this stage of his career, that is simply not enough and as a result, his development has really stagnated over the last year or two.
Gelhardt is reportedly on big wages at Leeds but surely he is at a time now where he knows he needs to go out and play regularly, whether on loan or permanently.
It makes no sense to keep Gelhardt around the squad any longer than January and if Wilson was to come in, it would push him even further down the pecking order.
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