Bielsa’s January transfer stance could backfire for Leeds, despite being admirable

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Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has admitted he won’t be making any January signings, despite the injuries to Robin Koch and Diego Llorente.

The Whites have suffered a cruel blow this week, with the news that Koch will miss up to three months. Meanwhile, Llorente will also miss the next few games it seems after picking up a knock.

But despite this, Bielsa has admitted he won’t be seeking replacements in January. The Leeds boss saying yesterday that the likes of Luke Ayling, Pascal Strujik, and a returning Gaetano Berardi should prove adequate cover.

However, despite Ayling being an admirable deputy when needed at central defence, could this be on thing Bielsa might be getting wrong?

It certainly leaves the Leeds squad looking light, especially in terms of proven quality and experience.

Inconsistencies

Most teams will have injuries to deal with during a season. The likes of Sheffield United and Liverpool are prime examples this term, with key players missing. For the Blades, in particular, the loss of Jack O’Connell has been massive.

Leeds, then, will hope the loss of Koch and Llorente isn’t something that has a similar impact. The German has been excellent since arriving in the summer, while we haven’t seen too much of Llorente as yet.

Furthemore, the moving of Ayling to centre-back also means Leeds miss him at right-back, where he has quickly developed into one of the most reliable performers in the Whites’ squad. Of course, moving Stuart Dallas there will be fine, but Ayling has mastered the position.

If anything, not bringing another defender in is playing with fire a bit for Bielsa. Strujik, another option for the Leeds boss, has looked ok at times but struggled in other games at this level.

Finally, just one more knock to any defender could prove pivotal. January is just weeks away and with Leeds doing well this term, it seems an odd call to not fill a key position with a new face in the winter window.