Leeds United were offered the chance to take Chris Martin on loan by their Championship rivals, but turned the bid down.
Thomas Christiansen’s side may be seventh in the Championship and well in the hunt for the play-off places, but there is a clear sense amongst the supporters that not strengthening their first-team during the January transfer window will probably cost them a chance to be in the promotion picture come the end of the regular season.
Laurens De Bock is the only signing this month set to boost the first-team immediately, and signing a goalscorer appears to be at the very top of many fans’ shopping lists.
The Whites have scored once in their last four games and a striker has not found the back of the net since the Boxing Day win at Burton Albion, so the concerns are understandable. And those concerns may turn into significant frustration given the reports linking them with a Championship rival.
However, the Yorkshire Evening Post adds that Leeds rejected the offer due to the Scotland international’s wages and a deal is now looking extremely unlikely unless they can negotiate an agreement that would see Derby pay a significant portion of his salary.
With Leeds’ strikers struggling for goals, the report may not go down well with supporters at all as Martin has shown that he can be a reliable scorer in the second tier.
And given the riches that the Premier League offers, stretching the wage budget – whether that be for Martin or another target – may be a gamble worth taking if it sees Leeds across the line in the promotion race.
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