3 left-backs Leeds United must consider signing next month after Firpo and Byram blows | OneFootball

Highlights

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has revealed that his side are weighing up left-back options in the January market with Sam Byram and Junior Firpo both currently out of action.

Byram’s hamstring injury was always likely to increase the need to bring in a left-back during the January window. He has been ruled out for three weeks, which follows on from Farke revealing Firpo would also miss the next three weeks with a similar hamstring injury, as stated just last week.

Stuart Dallas is recovering from a leg break which dates back to April 2022, and Jamie Shackleton is also suffering from a glute injury. That means all of the players to have started games at left-back this season or in recent years are out during the busy time of year during the festive period.

Junior Firpo briefly made a return to fitness a few weeks ago but has already missed a large chunk of the season and played just three times, leaving Leeds short of specialist, natural left-sided full-back options.

Despite joining from Barcelona, Firpo has struggled to be a regular in the Leeds set up for the better part of two-and-a-half seasons, appearing just 54 times for the club. Byram has managed the majority of minutes and performed well this term, but his injury record was always likely to catch up with him eventually, given how extensive his injuries have been with Norwich.

It leaves Leeds light on the left, meaning the likes of Archie Gray, Djed Spence, Luke Ayling, and the inexperienced Leo Hjelde will have to pick up the minutes in both full-back areas for the next few games.

Speaking in a recent pre-match press conference, journalist Phil Hay revealed that Farke explained they could now go into the market for a left-back, and he also stated it was something they had considered before news of further injuries.

“Farke indicated that he's giving through to recruiting at left-back in January - and was thinking about that even before Byram/Firpo got injured. Farke says Firpo is close to returning to training.”

The club had a busy summer of incomings, but further reinforcements will be needed to chase down the top two in January, and left-back ought to be a key area on the agenda.

With that in mind, here, we have outlined three realistic options that the club should consider with the window open in just a few weeks.

Diego Palacios

With Palacios' contract coming to an end with LAFC this month, the Ecuadorian international could be available on a free for Leeds, if they wish to go for a low-risk and potentially high-reward approach to the left-back position.

Palacios has good speed and great energy up and down the flank, but, above all, his biggest asset is his availability. The 24-year-old missed just five games for the MLS outfit in their league campaign last season, and in all competitions Palacios made 45 appearances, whilst also establishing himself as one of the best left-backs in the league.

He is a full international with 12 caps to his name for Ecuador, and has briefly tasted European football before as well, during a loan spell with Dutch outfit Willem II in 2019. The step from MLS to the Championship maybe a risk, but the best ability is availability and Leeds would be signing a player with a fantastic injury record for nothing who has ripped up the US top-flight so far.

Sergio Gomez

It remains to be seen if Manchester City would be willing to part ways with Gomez on loan, but it is a move that could suit all parties involved. One of Leeds' full-backs tends to invert and drift into central spaces, and the other will play higher and wider. If Spence is in the side and makes the right-back position his own, then he suits the more advanced role of the two, which would open the door for an inverted left-back.

Byram has done both of these roles well, and suits inverting centrally on to his right foot; however, Gomez would also be adept at this, with the Man City left-back also playing much of his career in central-midfield, and his natural tendency is to get involved in play in areas he can affect the game with his distribution. It would also give Leeds one of the strongest full-back pairings in the league if they can sign Gomez.

The Spaniard has scarcely been involved with the Premier League champions for the last season-and-a-half now, meaning they could be willing to get some first-team minutes out of Gomez elsewhere to develop him further. His wages would be significant but the development he would receive in a side as dominant as Leeds could be worth it for Farke's side and Pep Guardiola. His quality is undeniable and it would be an ambitious loan bid, but worth a punt for Leeds.

Trai Hume

Gomez would be pushing the boat out slightly in terms of ambition, but a player who is not predominantly a right-back, yet has operated there this season, comes in the form of Sunderland's right-back Trai Hume. In February of last year Sunderland bought the then 19-year-old full-back for a reported fee of just £150,000. Hume was playing for Linfield FC in the Northern Irish Premiership.

He hasn't looked back since, going from strength-to-strength with the Black Cats and, due to being right-footed, he would likely play the inverted role well, playing more centrally if needed. The 21-year-old would be worth considerably more in terms of a return on investment for the Black Cats and could be more realistic than Gomez for Leeds. He is closing in on 60 appearances since his arrival in the North East already and has already been linked with a move to Leeds recently.

Hume comes with great versatility, so he may be a short-term left-back solution who could become a long-term right-back option in the summer, given Spence is only on loan from Spurs and the Whites are in need of starting players on both flanks over the next two transfer windows. Hume would be costly, especially coming from a Championship rival, but fits the bill for a player who could slot straight in and perform at a high level, whilst also potentially being capable of making the step up to Premier League football in the near future, too.