Leeds United January transfer window outgoings stance and 'picky' recruitment view
Daniel Farke was quizzed on Leeds United's transfer plans ahead of Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has no plans to say goodbye to any of his current squad in the January transfer window but admits the club has to remain open minded.
The Whites will go into the market with the intention of improving Farke's attacking options and club sources have told the YEP that loan deals are more likely than permanent business next month. Leeds do not anticipate a hugely busy month of transfer activity but it is also considered unlikely that they will reach February without adding to the squad. According to club chiefs the Profitability and Sustainability position is tight, so if they wanted to make permanent purchases in January they would either have to sell someone prior to June 30 or pull some other financial levers to balance the PSR books.
There are players in the squad who have featured less than they would like. Willy Gnonto has been at the heart of the action coming off the bench in the last two games but has had a frustrating campaign in general, admittedly with an injury playing a part. Joel Piroe played 46 Championship games last season en route to a Golden Boot but has started just twice in the Premier League since promotion. Yet Farke says he has been given no signs that any of his players are eyeing the door in January and no designs on moving anyone on. He just can't rule anything out.
"You have to ask the players not playing that much if they're happy," he said. "I have no indication that anyone wants to leave. The spirit and togetherness is outstanding, it's a joy to work with them. You can't build a successful group when you just have 11 players. More or less every player has started or has minutes for us. I don't have any motivation to give one member of our group away in January. It's the market and if we can improve by doing a change we should be open to this but all players with us are strongly in my plans."
The manager would not be too concerned if someone on the fringe of the team was dissatisfied. He said: "If they're 100 per cent happy if they're not playing - I would assume no. I was only happy playing 90 minutes. I don't want a player thinking I've got a relaxed life. They should all be desperate to be in the squad and the starting XI. All the players are in my plan although sometimes I have to choose XI and have to disappoint more or less the same amount. The behaviour is great in the group or we couldn't have been there with such spirited performances in recent games."
Even if Leeds are determined to do business in January, Farke's thoughts on the mid-season market have not changed. He continues to echo the words of club chiefs past and present, who noted how much more difficult it can be to find the right player compared with the summer window.
"I don't want to speak too much about January but you know my attitude in general," he said. "It's a difficult market, there's just a limited number of players available. You have just four months left [of the season]. If you sign them in the summer you have pre-season to prepare and integrate them and so they can adapt to your style and processes. It's a bit more difficult in January. You either get a player where they're quite often a problem because he's coming back from injury. Or you have to spend lots to get a player in his rhythm and they can be over-priced. I'm very picky in January. You need many things to come together to find a solution but we're working on a professional level. If we find an addition who is affordable and makes us better, you have to be open and ready for it. We can speak about January when January has arrived. My whole focus is just on this group."