Can Leeds afford to wait to strengthen?

Good Morning. It's Friday 14th January, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road..


Can we afford to wait?

Leeds haven't signed a central midfielder since Lewis Baker on loan during the Summer of 2018. The last permanent addition was Adam Forshaw 207 weeks ago. With just over two weeks left of the transfer window, do Leeds need to strengthen their squad (particularly in midfield) or can they afford to wait until the Summer to start the rebuilding process?

Many clubs in the bottom half of the top flight have been significantly busier than ourselves this month. Whilst we can all agree that it's more difficult to find targets in January, are the club gambling with our top flight status by waiting?





Leeds in hot pursuit of Oldham starlet

Leeds are closing in on Oldham Athletic defender Benny Couto, according to the Telegraph. Portugal-born Couto has broken through the youth ranks at Boundary Park this season, and become a first team regular. He is 18yo, and predominantly plays as a left back.
A fee of around 1 m is expected to be enough to tie the deal up, with Couto expecting to be loaned straight back to Oldham to continue his development.





Rodrigo unlikely to feature at West Ham

Leeds journalist Phil Hay has doubts whether Rodrigo will be fit enough to feature against West Ham on Sunday. The soon-to-be 31yo has been sidelined with a heel injury since the end of November, and will need to regain his fitness before Bielsa throws him back into the first team. Since arriving at Elland Road 18 months ago, Rodrigo has featured only 38 times, and has nine goals to his name. According to Hay...

There was a bit of talk earlier in the week that Rodrigo might be ok. But Rodrigo hasn’t played since the end of November so given Bielsa’s track record, it would be a little bit of a surprise to see him get bombed in straight away at West Ham. It’s pointless trying to guess Leeds’ injuries until Bielsa’s press conference is held.

Duo sign professional deals

Youngsters Kris Moore and Harry Christy have penned professional contracts at Thorp Arch. The pair have been in impressive form for the under 18's, and have both been rewarded with two and a half year terms. Centre back Moore has featured 14 times for Leeds’ Under-23s in Premier League 2 and has been named on the bench by Marcelo Bielsa for the first team three times this season. Shot stopper Christy has been first choice between the sticks for the under-18s, making 12 appearances this term.