Leeds United manager Daniel Farke.
Leeds United endured a sobering afternoon at Elland Road as Arsenal eased to a 4–0 win, opening up a seven-point gap at the top of the Premier League.
A first-half strike from Martin Zubimendi, compounded by an unfortunate own goal from Karl Darlow, left the visitors in complete control at the break with a comfortable two-goal cushion.
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Leeds showed flashes of determination after half-time, but Viktor Gyokeres’ goal on 69 minutes effectively ended the contest, before Gabriel Jesus added a late fourth to emphasise Arsenal’s superiority.
Daniel Farke has made some pointed comments about what he wants from the board, and the club have just over a day to fix an error from last summer that has haunted them this season.
Leeds United must fix a key hole in the squad
Darlow’s performance in goal on Saturday again outlined the biggest problem in the Leeds squad at the moment – they do not have a quality number one goalkeeper.
The former Newcastle man is a steady hand and a good number 2. However, he is not good enough to play between the sticks week in, week out.
Leeds signed Lucas Perri as their new number one goalkeeper last summer, but the Brazilian has been inconsistent and does not exude calmness between the sticks.
Darlow is playing because of the Brazilian’s poor performances, and Farke would prefer to sign a new goalkeeper soon. But the club seem focused on signing a new striker.
Leeds do not have the funds to bring in a new striker and then spend money on a top goalkeeper who is better than both Perri and Darlow.
The Whites may have to compromise in the next 24 hours and find a solution, as Farke is not happy with the goalkeeping options in his squad.
Leeds must sell Illan Meslier to fund a new goalkeeper
Leeds wanted to sell Meslier in the summer, but the club didn’t receive suitable offers and the Frenchman stayed put at Elland Road.
However, he has been picking up significant wages without making a single appearance, as he is firmly now the third or fourth choice goalkeeper in the squad.
His contract expires at the end of the season, but Leeds must find a way to offload him in the next 24 hours to find space in their wage bill for a new goalkeeper.
Meslier’s departure will free up some funds, and it could help Leeds to sign a new goalkeeper before the transfer window closes on Monday evening.
Not getting rid of him last summer was a huge error, and Leeds must fix this in the next 24 hours to ensure they can sign a new goalkeeper late in the window.