Leeds United missed out on a last-minute deadline day transfer, which has prompted fans online to discuss the possibility of a free transfer to fill the gap.
Last season, an injury nightmare in midfield forced Leeds to look into the free agent market with a move for Josuha Guilavogui, who didn’t have much of an on-field impact, but his influence on the squad was undoubtedly tremendous off the field.
Now, calls for a free agent move have grown again after a failure to secure an attacking signing beyond Noah Okafor in the final stages of the window.
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What free agents could Leeds United realistically consider over the international break?
If Leeds were to actually consider a new free transfer, there is still plenty of Premier League experience in the list of players without a club.
Standing out is Josh Brownhill after his Burnley exit, scoring 18 and assisting six in the Championship last season, but a move to Elland Road is off the table as he’s set for Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab.
(Action Images/Craig Brough)
Combing over the Transfermarkt list of free agents, 32-year-old Hakim Ziyech, 33-year-old Christian Eriksen, or 29-year-old Dele Alli fresh from his release from Como are names that many would recognise as attacking options.
Robbie Evans answers Leeds United free agent question after unsuccessful deadline day
Managing director Robbie Evans spoke to the press after the transfer window closed and was unsurprisingly facing plenty of questions about why the summer transpired as it did.
Included in that was a question regarding his thoughts on the club dipping into this list of free agents to add that 25th name to the squad.
“Whether it’s in the window or it’s the free-agent market or it’s January, it’s all about what does the team actually need? What is the opportunity cost, as far as the buy you can’t make later on, or the sale you might have to make out of your current roster?” Evans began, per The Athletic.
I don’t think, right now, there’s any need so great it’s worth going to the free-agent market to fill it. In part, because I doubt the right player is there. It’s a great market for injuries. Last year, we brought Josuha (Guilavogui) in. We had an emergency crisis with injuries.
“Beyond that, it’s probably wait and see. Once we get through the first 10 games, you’re eight games from January. If you have to evaluate, we’ll use that, but our goal is to avoid January, if possible. There’s a reason we didn’t do a big thing in January last year or the year before. The goal is to be done early. Actually, we got all of our core guys done before the season even began, for that reason.
“Not just before deadline day, but actually before August was the goal for the key ones. It’s there, but we don’t see using free agency as a priority because there’s only a handful of players we felt were good enough to begin with, and the pool obviously shrinks dramatically when you go from the entirety of the window, or the players in the window, to the handful of free agents that are available.”
Leeds United do not need any of the free agents still available
If a player is still a free agent beyond the summer window, there is a pretty telling reason for it: whether it’s their fitness, age, injury risk, or financial demands, and usually it’s a combination.
Someone like Eriksen would be a nice thought as he adds creativity from midfield and good set piece delivery, but Leeds would be carrying a passenger in a vital position to get him in the side.
Alli has unquestionable talent, but hasn’t shown anything remotely close to his Spurs levels in years, so there’s again a clear reason why he’s without a club.
Brownhill is one that many think makes sense, but for someone to have such a good season and still be out of contract suggests he’s asking for truly outrageous money.
It’s no shock he’s reportedly on the brink of a move to Saudi Arabia.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!