"Farke has suggested" - Leeds United transfer fears could be reality | OneFootball

FLW asked Leeds fan pundit, Kris Smith, what his biggest fear was heading into the all-important winter window.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Currently finding themselves in the middle of a congested Championship top six, Leeds United remain likely, but by no means guaranteed, to return to the top-flight come May.

It's currently anyone's guess who ends up occupying the automatic spots come the end of the season, with the quartet of Sheffield United, Burnley, Sunderland and the aforementioned Whites still within five points of each other at the top.

What could be the catalyst for a breakaway, if any, is shrewd business in the imminent January transfer window.

However, concerningly for Leeds supporters, Daniel Farke has been quoted in saying that he actively wishes and expects for a quiet window.

With margins finer than ever this season, could lack of transfer activity in the new year prove to be a missed opportunity at Elland Road?

Worries that Farke is 'not as eager as the fans' when it comes to recruits

January activity has the potential of proving make or break for the West Yorkshire side and their fellow automatic promotion candidates. With this in mind, FLW asked Leeds fan pundit, Kris Smith, what his biggest fear was heading into the all-important winter window.

"My biggest fear with Leeds in the January transfer window has already sort of been suggested by Farke in a press conference recently, and it's that we won't really do anything in the market.

"Last January we needed a few additions and all we ended up getting is one right back on loan who barely started, in Connor Roberts from Burnley.

"Meanwhile, Ipswich brought in Kieffer Moore, Ali Al-Hamadi and Jeremy Sarmiento, among others. The goals from those three attackers fired them to promotion over us. They were the real difference makers whether they were starting or coming off the bench.

"My real worry is that Farke has already suggested that we're going to be in for a quiet January, and he's actually going to be quite truthful about that, and we won't be making the signings that we so obviously need.

"This side is a number ten and a consistent striker away from walking the league at an absolute canter, and it worries me that Farke might not be as eager as the fans to make that happen.

"Of course, you could talk to any Championship fan and they'd say a number ten and a consistent striker is what they want, it's virtually what every single club would like, so finding the right quality is easier said than done, but I do think it is a task that Leeds simply have to make an effort in trying to resolve."

Leeds suffered heartbreak in 2023/24, becoming the first team to achieve 90+ points in the regular season and not achieving automatic promotion for some time.

As Smith mentions, their eventual betters, Ipswich Town, reaped the rewards of their January business, which arguably proved the difference maker in last season's promotion fight.

It isn't objectively foolish of Farke to prioritise harmony in the squad, however, it does represent a significant risk.

With the comparative resources at Leeds' disposal, if history does repeat itself, there will be nowhere to hide for the German manager.