Leeds United writer Beren Cross has explained that the return to fitness for Junior Firpo and others influenced the club’s transfer business.
When we reached the final hours of January, plenty of Leeds fans would surely have been hoping for a deadline-day deal for an exciting new player. In the end, though, no incoming transfers were made throughout the entire month.
Will Leeds sign Brenden Aaronson in the summer?
Yes
No
While talking on The Blue, White and Yellow podcast, Cross explained injured squad players such as Firpo, Adam Forshaw, Jamie Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell should all return to the team in the near future – which supposedly impacted the club’s transfer plans.
He explained how this gave Marcelo Bielsa and co reason to be more controlled in the past winter window, saying: “They clearly believe that they can ride out the injury issues, they feel that enough of the players are going to come back quickly.
“Bielsa has said that Shackleton and Cresswell will be back the other side of the international break. Forshaw has been on the record, since the West Ham game, saying that he’ll be back for the Villa game.
“And Firpo, we’re led to believe, is fairly similar in terms of severity.”
TIF Thoughts on injuries, Leeds and their transfers…
While supporters may be left disappointed by the lack of activity in the most recent window, it’s not as though they weren’t busy over the summer.
Indeed, decent money was splashed on new players such as Firpo, Dan James and Jack Harrison, who could all play a big role in the remainder of the season.
And as Cody Drameh was the only player to leave the squad, it’s not as if their team has been significantly weakened. So with the likes of Firpo, Forshaw, Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell all back in the near future, things might not be quite as bleak in West Yorkshire as some may feel.
In other news: ‘Orta needs sacking’, ‘We are finished’ – Many Leeds fans fuming as update emerges