Forty-eight days stand between Leeds United director of football Victor Orta and his next transfer window, his next opportunity to mix up the Elland Road roster.
As he has already intimated this week, it does not currently look like it’s going to be especially busy for new faces coming in.
There are one or two issues up in the air which do mean the club may need to act, however. Let’s sweep through the current squad and any holes which may need filling in the window.
Goalkeeper
Kiko Casilla’s charge will hopefully be dealt with long before the January window opens, but if he is ultimately banned it will be for a minimum of six matches.
The window may give Orta the ability to find someone more experienced to stand between the sticks if they do not feel Illan Meslier is up to the job, though the Frenchman has impressed with the under-23s.
LeedsLive understands an emergency loan signing outside the window would not be permitted given Meslier constitutes an available professional goalkeeper with senior experience from his time in France.
Right-back
This looks like an open-and-close case. Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas are more than adequate coverage with zero chance of either moving on in January.
Centre-back
Ben White and Liam Cooper are the undisputed kings at the heart of the defence with Gaetano Berardi providing cover, but is that enough experience?
White has played enough minutes to ensure Brighton & Hove Albion cannot recall him without United’s agreement.
Pascal Struijk and Oliver Casey are the next natural options in line, but could they be relied upon to keep it tight when the pressure’s on at the top of the league?
Marcelo Bielsa would again point to Ayling and Kalvin Phillips as able deputies, but what if they are needed in their natural positions?
Left-back
Injuries have ravaged this department of late, but Leif Davis is a very reliable and popular back-up choice from the youth ranks.
Ezgjan Alioski is usually indestructible too. This seems to be set for the season.
Defensive midfielder
Phillips is the main man, but who is there to back him up in a worst case scenario?
Adam Forshaw? Injured with no return date and classing him in this slot opens up a hole in central midfield.
Robbie Gotts and Alfie McCalmont are coming up, but the latter did not look comfortable in the EFL Cup against Stoke City.
As we saw last season, when Phillips was pushed back in defence, the team suffered.
Right-winger
Helder Costa and Pablo Hernandez. Done.
Central midfielder
While Forshaw and Jamie Shackleton have struggled of late, this area of the squad does look ably stocked. Mateusz Klich and Tyler Roberts keep it at two players in every position.
Mateusz Bogusz too, on his day, has looked very able.
Left-winger
Jack Harrison is a mainstay and finally showing some return on Bielsa’s faith. Jack Clarke, however, will surely be returning to Tottenham Hotspur in January.
Knowing how much Bielsa likes wide players, and how much he wanted Ryan Kent, even with Clarke in the squad, would suggest the boss would want the Spurs man replacing.
Using Alioski here again may be a possibility if Bielsa is comfortable with keeping Davis in the 18 on a week-by-week basis as cover for Barry Douglas.
Striker
Patrick Bamford has become the immovable object in attack. Eddie Nketiah may never make that full league debut if his abdominal injury does not clear.
Hopes are high Nketiah may make it back for the Middlesbrough match, if not the Reading trip before that. If Bielsa is serious about keeping the Arsenal man beyond January, he must start playing him.
There has to be a clear intention to give Nketiah the lion’s share of pitch time if Arsenal are to let him continue in West Yorkshire.
The injury may have scuppered the club’s chances of automatically meeting the requirements of the loan, but consistent minutes between his recovery and the end of the year may sway the Gunners.
If Nketiah does return to London, then yes, Orta absolutely has to find another striker to challenge and support Bamford.
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