Leeds United Q and A with white-hot topic, January transfer stance and stadium plan view - part one

Illan Meslier, his place in the team and his future at Leeds were at the centre of hundreds of questions sent to us by Leeds supporters this week for our first Q and A of the January transfer window. Let’s get straight into part one.

@DLDST1tman: Having seen the reaction to the Hull game over the last couple of days, do you think that Meslier is maybe done here?

There was a similar reaction after the Sunderland game and he stayed in the team and in Daniel Farke's plans. It would be a massive call for Farke to stick with him in the aftermath of this one, but the FA Cup game might just act as a firebreak. If he, as was likely planned all along, goes with Karl Darlow against Harrogate and the Welsh international plays well then there's an argument to keep him in the team for the Sheffield Wednesday game. That way it could be framed as going with the form keeper rather than a reactive dumping of an established number one and Meslier could come out of the spotlight for a time at least.

There is a more nuclear option of course that we'll address shortly.

@TweetTimeDave: Did you have a nice Christmas Graham?

Lovely thanks, as relaxing as a Christmas can be with four children.

@OliverMedd7: How long can we go on Graham with Meslier as our #1? Surely it’s now time to take him out of the firing line. Surely we sign a new #1 or just back Darlow now until the end of the season.

You can understand why Farke would be less keen to change a goalkeeper than a winger or a full-back, but when a player is costing you points and his general performance is not matching those of his direct rivals at the top of the league, then maybe this has all come at a good time. The transfer window is open. Why not, at the very least, put proper pressure on Meslier with a signing? Perhaps that is unfair to Karl Darlow and Alex Cairns, but if they really are truly competitive for the number one spot then why have we not seen a form-based change at any stage prior to now?

Farke often calls on his team to be ruthless but the club should perhaps match that energy with their business if they want to guarantee automatic promotion. That said, I don't believe Leeds have made any plans to sell Meslier this month and I would be stunned if he moved on in January. There are also currently no plans to go and get a goalkeeper. I'm quite sure that's the line Farke will give us when we sit down with him on Thursday as well.

READ: Daniel Farke’s first words on the January transfer window.

@LeedsUnited43: Do you believe football fans have turned very fickle? Always turning to the next new thing such as a player on the subs bench or a new signing? No one ever seems happy in football anymore.

Marcelo Bielsa used to point out that after a loss people would make demands for the player who didn't play, I think that's a natural reaction though, to wonder what difference another option might have made. It doesn't mean that the other option would not have made a difference, though, but it is a largely pointless discussion.

I completely agree that no one ever seems happy but that's probably because we and football have become so attuned to the online narrative. Trains back from away games have often been much happier places than social media hellscapes, following defeats.

@StirkJonny: If you were Leeds United would you be trying to make signings this window and what positions would you be looking to strengthen/add depth?

I most certainly would. In an ideal world a full-back would feel sensible given the injury concerns over Junior Firpo and Sam Byram. A number 10 is what this squad really needs and a goalkeeper to give everyone, players and fans alike, the confidence they want to have when the ball goes into the area. But we expect a quiet month. That’s the line club sources keep sticking to. I suspect if a golden opportunity to get a player Farke is convinced will make a difference then Leeds will act but they're not anticipating much movement beyond Joe Gelhardt's loan exit.

@danflynn56: Back to my last question from May 2023, were you scared when big Sam said he’d shoot you?

A little, to be perfectly honest with you. You couldn't quite predict the man.

@11tomcull: Hi Graham. Is Farke playing Aaronson at 10 every game of Christmas/New Year a message to the club that we need another 10? Or does he just love him?

Flogging Brenden Aaronson just to make a point would be very cruel indeed, but the point stands that Farke went on record about the lack of natural number 10 at the end of the window. Outside of Aaronson, whose goal return is admittedly fantastic, it is difficult to see another natural option and Farke is evidently reticent to use his wingers there. He definitely does love the American's energy and when he shows composure to finish off attacks, but you cannot tell me Farke would turn down a difference-making signing in that position.

@Cobi_Vicker: Just to make it not about Meslier, what is going to happen to Gelhardt? I still have faith that he could be a good player at this level but he needs to play football, which clearly isn’t going to happen here. Is there interest in him? Is it an issue that his wages are too high? Or does he want to naively fight for his place?

There is interest in a loan move. Hull City and one other Championship club are very serious about taking him for the second half of the season and there are others still keen. Leeds are very open to the idea and I don't believe Patrick Bamford's injury will be a barrier to that. Gelhardt is also obviously keen to get out and play. There is no issue with wages from what we're told and this is one bit of business we're expecting to happen before the deadline.

@_LamNam_: Whos your current favourite Leeds player and why? I want some weird insight that isnt an opinion widely shared by others. Like seeing Dan James hold a door open for somebody, or finding out Piroe is a closet 'Gers fan. Doesn't have to be true either, sometimes the insights can be false/made up. Go.

We journalists don't have favourites, honest, but I can tell you, having seen his interactions with club staff, supporters and the general public that Daniel James is a gent. There’s a little bit of a bromance between him and one of the behind-the-scenes staff members, which proves he’s one of those players who recognises the existence of other humans. He’s a pretty normal human. And he's a good one to interview. Very honest. He also took the news that The Square Ball affectionately call him Little Scum B****** with tremendous grace.

@jpelloco: At the supporters trust Q&A there was mention by Angus / Paraag about spades in the ground in January on the ground development. Any news Graham? Also why they so shy with the plans?

I would be surprised if they had promised January work because we are not expecting spades in the ground until promotion is secured. As for plans, these things can be delicate up to a certain point and no one wants to be embarrassed by the release of drawings that bear no resemblance to the finished article - not when so many things can change with major projects. There could be objections from local residents or planning permission rejections or caveats. 49ers Enterprises want to do everything properly and in the right order and there is a process to follow. They have serious people working on it, too.

@lliambrocksom: Why has the atmosphere at Elland Road gone downhill?

Good question Liam. You’re not the first to raise it. Colleagues and ex-colleagues who are either season ticket holders or occasional home match attendees have reported similar. Only Leeds fans can really answer this, if they indeed agree with the sentiment. Is it the lack of jeopardy in games? The negative way that almost every opposition side plays when they arrive and the sometimes boring football that follows? I wouldn't like to suggest that entitlement has set in but Leeds fans do expect to win their home games. In my experience so far, Elland Road was at its urgent best when the fans were most needed. Must-win games bring the best out of Leeds fans. When we get to that stage I would expect the stadium to be rocking.

@Bazdawg316: Where is the line for journalist’s to push on a subject vs having to step back? I’d love someone to push Farke on Meslier, but is that futile as he will always play a straight bat anyway. Also what’s your view on how he will handle the situation?

There is a balance to strike because while many supporters simply want us to go into a press conference and berate Farke for being 'wrong' we have a professional and human duty to be respectful. There is also the issue of having just two questions. It's difficult to grill or interrogate someone if they give an answer that you disagree with and you've run out of permitted questions.

And at the end of the day, has any manager ever heard a question from a journalist and suddenly changed his plans or opinion? We can ask the questions but we cannot guarantee that the fans are going to like or agree with the answers. On Saturday I asked him if the selection thought process was different for a goalkeeper, because we have seen him drop players in other positions. When he answered that the thought process was different, I then asked how he could keep a player accountable if the player knew he wasn’t going to be dropped. Farke went on to explain that no one is undroppable. I would have liked to delve a little further but...two questions.

@TheoInnes: I can see the 49ers sacking Farke if we are promoted and getting in someone else in with more experience and an overall better Prem record than Farke. Was wondering if there was any rumours about the same or if you thought the same?

No rumours, 49ers Enterprises are too slick an outfit to let something so capable of derailing a season slip at this stage. You do have to wonder though if Farke's position will be rock solid even in the event of promotion. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the owners take a fresh view in the summer based on the gulf in standard between the Championship and the Premier League. There was the transfer tension in the summer, there's a section of fans who have not taken to Farke or not forgiven him for coming so close to promotion without securing it, there's rumbling in the fanbase about the entertainment levels being delivered. There's always something for a manager to battle, away from the game itself, and owners are never deaf to that noise.