Marcelo Bielsa’s Championship leaders Leeds United have already missed out on two signings to Middlesbrough and Athletic Bilbao respectively.
If you’d told Leeds United fans that they’d be top of the Championship table going into 2019 they’d have snapped your hands off.
But there are perhaps a few reasons for fans to worry in the first few days of the New Year. A 2-1 FA Cup defeat at QPR means Leeds have lost three games in a row for the first time under Marcelo Bielsa, whose sides have a history of faltering after Christmas.
Furthermore, with Samu Saiz sealing a move back to Spain with Getafe, questions have to be asked about whether The Whites have the quality to replace the fleet-footed Spaniard.
And, so far, signing an attacker capable of replacing the erratic yet talented Saiz could be easier said than done.
Goal had reported that Bielsa was confident of striking a deal to reunite with Ibai Gomez, his former Athletic Bilbao forward who has thrived since moving to Alaves. A gifted right-winger with a wand of a left boot, Gomez would’ve been a ready-made Saiz successor.
But, in a bitter blow, Ibai is set to re-join Athletic instead in a bargain £2.69 million deal (El Gol Digital).
This comes just days after the Huddersfield Town winger Rajiv Van La Parra admitted that he had turned down Leeds in order to sign for Championship promotion rivals Middlesbrough, as reported by Voetbal Elf.
So it’s fair to say that the transfer window hasn’t started brilliantly.
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