Leeds United must heed painful January transfer lesson…

Leeds United must heed painful January transfer lesson and repeat summer message

January 2022 would come and go without any senior additions at Leeds United, despite them ending that transfer window in 15th place. The Whites were seven points clear of third-bottom Newcastle United, but looking back on an injury-ravaged run of two wins in seven matches.

Calmness remained in the boardroom and at Thorp Arch. Marcelo Bielsa was never one to overreact to poor form or injury crises with expensive bids for new players, while Angus Kinnear and Victor Orta saw sense in following their head coach’s lead.

United’s top brass knew it would be unwise to force players upon Bielsa he did not want, especially if they would not be considered fit enough by him to play until mid or late March. Brenden Aaronson was that window’s number-one target and the name all departments agreed ticked the right boxes.

Unfortunately, neither Red Bull Salzburg nor the player wanted it to happen then. Leeds would have to wait if they wanted their American attacker and so they did. Rather than spend the cash on someone who ticked fewer boxes, they sat on it.

Out-of-favour Harry Winks and Donny van de Beek would be offered Elland Road’s way and swiftly rejected. Leeds were struggling for form and fitness, but failed to add any of the reinforcements many quarters of the fan base felt they needed.

Leeds took a risk and felt they had enough in the building, especially when injuries healed, to propel themselves away from the drop zone. It could not have backfired more ferociously.

United would draw that chaotic 3-3 match at Aston Villa and proceed to lose six matches on the bounce, sacking Bielsa, the man they so emphatically stood by in January, in the process.

Everyone can remember Jesse Marsch’s rescue mission and the barely believable final-day stand at Brentford. Failing to add players in January was not the only, or main, reason for that subsequent collapse down the table, but it certainly played its part.

More than at any other point in Bielsa’s tenure it seemed obvious the club had to act and give themselves a chance of keeping their heads above water. Even warm bodies, the phrase so memorably used by Kinnear this season, felt welcome in a squad decimated by injuries.

Nearly 12 months have passed and Orta is once more firming up his plan of attack for a window that frustrates so many in the sport every year. The final two matches of 2022 will dictate exactly where Leeds are placed, but the circumstances are looking very similar to 2021.

With 14 matches played, United are just two points clear of 18th with a game in hand. Going into January 2022 they were five points clear, but with two matches played more than third-bottom Burnley.

Going into 2023, it’s abundantly clear to everyone the club needs a first-rate left-back and most would agree a striker’s necessary too. Leeds are expected to go after those two vacancies, but after the painful lesson of last season, it’s got to be clear to Orta et al they cannot leave this next window empty-handed.

The five-strong senior haul of the summer has largely proven its worth up to now as an immediate response by the club to last season’s close scrape. They now need to replicate that success in January.

Leeds United must heed painful January transfer lesson and repeat summer message

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