Leeds United desperately needed to add a few fresh faces to their arsenal in the January transfer window. The Whites are one of the clubs eyeing promotion to the Premier League and to do the same, they needed some quality additions.
Here is how we rate their new signings:
Laurens De Bock 8/10
After the exit of Charlie Taylor to Burnley in the summer, the left-back area seemed to be lacking the quality that was needed in the first-half of the season. The problem has been seemingly addressed by them last month as the Yorkshire based outfit signed Laurens De Bock from Club Brugge. He is a no-nonsense left-back and has already made his presence felt at his new club.
Sam Dalby 4/10
18-year-old starlet, Sam Dalby, is a tall and physically strong striker who has been signed on a two-and-a-half-year deal from Leyton Orient. However, he is far from being a polished article and hasn’t played much at the senior level. Thus, the jury is still out on his acquisition.
Adam Forshaw 9/10
The Peacocks signed Adam Forshaw from Middlesbrough for £4.5million and the 26-year-old is arguably their best signing of the January transfer market. Forshaw is accustomed to English football, does a tremendous amount of ‘dirty’ work in the middle and knits his teammates together with his passes and he can certainly be the engine room for the side in this difficult period.
Aapo Halme 5/10
Leeds United wrapped up the deal pretty quickly to lure Aapo Halme to the Elland Road last month from HJK Helsinki and the 19-year-old could be tested in the coming days due to the apparent central defensive crisis at Leeds United. He is tall, calm and composed and has a lot of potential.
Yosuke Ideguchi 6/10
Signed from Gamba Osaka, Yosuke Ideguchi was shipped out immediately to Club Leonesa in Spain due to the failure to qualify for a United Kingdom work permit. The central midfielder is a highly rated Japanese international and Leeds United fans would be keen to see him ply his trade for their club next season.
Tyler Roberts 7/10
One of the most highly rated youngster in the game at this stroke of hour, Tyler Roberts can prove to be a really handy addition to Leeds United’s arsenal. The £2.5million deadline day signing from West Bromwich Albion is a cunning striker who has raw pace and had scored 5 goals in 19 games on loan at League One side, Walsall, this season.
Jordan Stevens 5/10
Leeds United prioritized signing youngsters in the recently concluded transfer window and Jordan Stevens was yet another signing meant to meet the club’s needs in the future. Signed from Forest Green Rovers, the midfielder arguably has a bright career in front of him but needs to polish himself adequately in the coming months.
Exits:
Mateusz Klich struggled to cement his place in the middle of the park after signing for Leeds United in the summer and has been justifiably sent out on loan to FC Utrecht for the rest of the season to gather game time under his belt. Meanwhile, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson was sent back to his parent club, Manchester United, after a forgettable loan spell with the Championship outfit.
Conclusion
It goes without saying that Leeds United laid too much emphasis to build a group of young guns but then, three signings in the shapes of De Bock, Forshaw and Roberts must have pleased their fans. However, the central defence might be one area they could have tried to beef up.
Matthew Pennington and Conor Shaughnessy are facing injury concerns, Liam Cooper is currently serving his four-match ban and Pontus Jansson is only one yellow card away from a two-match ban. Nonetheless, it was quite a decent transfer window considering the bigger picture.
