Leeds United boss Thomas Christiansen has claimed that the club’s priority during the transfer window must be improving his defence with just one centre-back set to be available for the start of the season.
The Whites’ manager has had a busy start to his career at Elland Road, having seen nine deals completed for players already.
Samu Saiz, Mateusz Klich, Caleb Ekuban, Felix Weidwald, Vurnon Anita, Madger Gomes and Ezgjan Alioski have all arrived as new faces to the club, while Pontus Jansson and Hadi Sacko signed permanent deals after loan spells last season.
Out of those, Jansson is the only recognised defender, while Anita can play at full-back if required, and Christiansen says that bolstering his back line must be the club’s primary aim in the market.
He told the Yorkshire Post: “We do need to strengthen in the defence. That is a priority now.
“We have been working to try and do the best signings that we can across the whole team.
“I do not want us to sign in desperation, someone who is not better than what we have.”
If Leeds were to fail to bring in any defensive reinforcements, they would face a crisis at the heart of defence, with Jansson set to miss the opening two games of their Championship campaign through suspension.
That would leave just Liam Cooper and Giuseppe Bellusci as Christiansen’s options, although the Italian is unlikely to be at Elland Road for much longer, with talks said to be ongoing over his transfer.
Leeds were reported to have made a move for Wolves’ Dominic Iorfa, a natural right-back with an ability to play in the centre, but their Championship rivals chose to send him on loan to Ipswich instead, with the Whites looking for a permanent transfer.