Burnley FC should have big Leeds United fear looking ahead to January | OneFootball

Burnley need to fight Leeds United for some of their January targets.

The 2024-25 Championship promotion race seems set to be just as tight as last season, with the trio of Leeds United, Burnley and Sheffield United all battling it out to secure those top two spots.

Currently, it is the Blades who lead the way with 45 points from 21 games, putting them four points clear of the Clarets in third. Meanwhile, Daniel Farke's side hold a slender advantage over Scott Parker's men, sitting just one point ahead in second place.

Of course, with still over half the season to play, plenty could change and the upcoming January window will give each side the chance to address their minor issues.

However, Burnley fans may have cause for concern, as Leeds appear to be vying for the same improvements, with both sides facing similar struggles in terms of creativity from attacking midfield.

While it will seemingly be an even playing field come January, it appears the Whites are ahead in terms of potential targets, with the likes of James McAtee and Emi Buendia being linked to Elland Road.

This is the calibre of player Parker's men should be targeting, and the Clarets' head coach will have to urge Alan Pace to chase deals for either of these two to fix their creative woes.

Burnley FC's attacking midfield problem has been laid bare under Scott Parker

Many aspects of Parker's Burnley have been impressive, with the defence standing out as a particular highlight, having conceded just nine goals in 21 games.

This has somewhat eased the burden on the Clarets attack, who, while performing adequately so far, may need to step up and deliver more if the team begin to concede goals.

The main issue has been a lack of creativity, as evidenced by their expected goals (xG) tally of 22.4 – the seventh-lowest in the division.

Currently, their attacking midfield options are Jeremy Sarmiento, Josh Laurent and Hannibal Mejbri, but each player is more suited to a different role within either the midfield or attack.

While they have done a decent job playing out of position, together they have created just five big chances, which suggests the likes of Jay Rodriguez and Zian Flemming need more service.

Ultimately, this is something that the Burnley hierarchy has to address in January, as it is rare to see a side get promoted on defensive nous alone.

Burnley FC should be in transfer battle with Leeds United for James McAtee or Emi Buendia

This issue isn't one that exclusively belongs to Burnley, with Leeds clearly believing they need to add another attacking midfielder to their ranks.

So far, Caught Offside have linked Farke's side with Manchester City player, James McAtee, while Emi Buendia was also of interest to the Whites in the summer, but a reunion with Leeds' German boss, having worked with him at Norwich City, failed to materialise.

Despite this, a January loan move for the latter seems difficult without Aston Villa bringing in a new player to bolster their ranks.

Ultimately, the situation could change in the winter window, so don't be surprised if Unai Emery's side unexpectedly sanctioned a departure for Buendia if they are able to bolster their attacking options.

All this talk displays Leeds' evident desperation to add to their number 10 ranks, with Brenden Aaronson predominantly featuring behind either Mateo Joseph or Joel Piroe.

This is a stance that Burnley also need to have and if we don't begin to hear about potential moves for similar players, then the Turf Moor faithful will be concerned about the direction of their window.

In truth, the race for automatic promotion could well hinge on the signings made in January. Both clubs sold a significant amount of talent in the summer, meaning financing a move for either Buendia or McAtee shouldn’t pose a problem.

If Pace has ideals of the Clarets returning to the top tier at the first time of asking, then he needs to sanction a move for an attacking midfielder, and targeting the same two players as the Whites would be a good start, as Leeds won't be signing both - if any at all.