The January transfer window is just around the corner and Victor Orta will have busy time at Leeds United.
The Whites haven’t had the best of starts to the 2021/22 season, They sit perilously close to the relegation zone and after Kalvin Phillips picked up an injury, they’re looking incredibly light in midfield.
Orta may have his eyes on a few signings in this winter window, but his top priority has to be to sign a midfielder.
Leeds’ midfield has been looking light for a while, but now, with Phillips out, they’re in desperate need of some bodies in the middle of the park.
Factor in that their other options in the centre of midfield are an injury-prone Adam Forshaw, an out-of-form Mateusz Klich and Stuart Dallas whose natural position is out wide, and you can see the problem.
Bielsa’s teams are often defined by their midfield generals. Whether it’s Phillips at Leeds, Ander Herrera at Athletic Bilbao or Arturo Vidal in his Chile team, El Loco needs quality in the middle of the park for his teams to flourish, and for far too long, Leeds have lacked depth in this area. And now, it could be coming back to bite them.
Orta and Leeds have needed a new midfielder for a couple of years at this point, but for one reason or another, they’ve failed to get deals over the line in this position.
Leeds’ have failed to sign a midfielder, but it hasn’t been for the lack of trying, back in 2020, Michael Cuisance looked set to sign before he failed a medical, while United were turned down by Conor Gallagher in the summer.
Orta has made the same mistake two years running, he’s failed to sign a midfielder for Leeds, and now is the time for him to atone for these errors.
This window will be vital for the Whites’ survival hopes, and their January plans should be largely centred around getting a new midfielder through the door.
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