"Run riot in this team" - Daniel Farke and Leeds United urged to target one key area in January | OneFootball

FLW's Leeds United fan pundit has had his say on the most crucial area of the squad to improve for Daniel Farke in January.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds United and Daniel Farke may well be in the market for an attacking midfielder in January, having missed out on numerous opportunities in the summer transfer window.

The Whites had been desperate to bolster the midfield engine room across the summer window, where they have been subjected to a second consecutive squad exodus with a host of big-name departures being sanctioned, including those of Glen Kamara and Archie Gray.

It left Farke to undertake a real squad rebuilding exercise for the second time in as many summers, with the likes of Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell coming in to bolster their ranks. They didn't stop there, though, with Gus Hamer a serious option for the Whites late on in the window.

Leeds failed in their attempts to sign Hamer in a deal worth £13 million, according to The Star. BBC Sport's Leeds United correspondent Adam Pope then did not believe the Whites would return with a second bid for Sheffield United's star man in the summer after it was reported that they valued him at £18 million.

You would imagine that the eight or nine clubs realistically capable of finishing inside the Championship's top six, and especially those targeting an automatic finish, such as Leeds, Sheffield United, Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Sunderland, will be identifying the January transfer window as a strong opportunity to source players that could make a difference and get them over the line.

Leeds United January transfer window prediction made

We asked FLW’s Leeds United fan pundit Kris Smith for his thoughts on the one position he expects Farke to be demanding a signing at the most next month, with attacking midfield perhaps the most glaring issue in Leeds' ranks.

He said: "Farke has already come out a couple of times in the past month or so and said that he is expecting a fairly quiet January for Leeds.

"There is merit to that in terms of not wanting to upset the apple cart with squad harmony and things like that.

"But I do think our failed attempts to sign Roland Sallai and Gustavo Hamer and other attacking midfielders in the summer does strongly suggest that Farke has that lingering headache of an attacking midfielder.

"He probably wants it resolving in the January window. Unless, of course, he might have changed his mind on that by now. Obviously, a lot of time has passed since then.

"We have since become arguably the best team in the league since then, and our attack is up there as well. But I do think all Leeds fans can agree that having someone brought in with the eye for a killer pass would run riot in this Leeds team.

"That's should that player be available in the New Year. I don't think Farke is going to be begging the board to make that sort of signing at the turn of the year, because he is clearly quite happy with the team that he is running with.

"But I would be quite surprised if he, and others behind the scenes, weren't at least hopeful of finding a really good option there."

Leeds United's need for a playmaker in January

Leeds' decision to sell Georginio Rutter in the summer of 2024 has left them with a lack of a creative No.10, which has proven to be an issue in some games this season. That's despite a solid start to the campaign currently, and creative players such as Willy Gnonto and new signing Largie Ramazani impressing on the wings, with Brenden Aaronson through the middle.

They need someone who can offer the creativity and technical quality that could elevate the team’s attacking play, and a signing of this nature in January could be the difference between a strong promotion push and absolutely cementing their place at the top.

It's the final piece of the puzzle for Leeds, unless they are struck by an injury crisis in another position between now and the end of the campaign. But a midfielder that can punch passes and break lines in a multitude of different ways with different pass-types in his locker is the primary issue, particularly in difficult to navigate away fixtures.

That is especially important for teams looking to break down deep-lying defences in a low-block or compacting the middle of the pitch with numerous players, which Leeds are regularly facing at the moment. A player that has the ability to unlock the opposition and provide the spark needed to turn draws into wins, or defeats into draws, is something that is invaluable to promotion-chasing sides.