Leeds United is facing key injuries to its backline depth, as Ethan Ampadu and Max Wober are all out for a while. As a result, any other injury or two to the center-back position could send the team into crisis mode.
Leeds avoided the worst possible scenario with Ampadu, who can play in the midfield and as a center-back, which would have been an ACL injury that could have ended his 2024-25 season.Â
The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Joe Donnohue relayed the information that Ampadu suffered an injury to the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and not the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Meanwhile, Wober underwent knee surgery, so that will keep him out of the squad.
Does Leeds need to sign a free agent to bolster depth?
With the Whites’ depth being tested, the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Kyle Newbould wrote a piece regarding defenders that Daniel Farke and his team should consider. Two names stand out with top European-level experience.
Joel Matip, Paul Dummett, and Simon Kjaer are three veterans Newbould believes can help Leeds withstand an injury crisis. Matip has been a free agent since leaving Liverpool, so he would bring that Premier League experience to a squad that’s looking to get to England’s top flight.
Another player with Premier League experience that Newbould suggests that Leeds consider is Dummett. The 33-year-old left Newcastle United this past summer after making over 200 appearances across all competitions for the Magpies.
Finally, Kjaer spent the last six years with AC Milan, joining the Italian giants on loan in 2019 and staying there permanently. While he hasn’t played in England, the 35-year-old does have the experience.
“Kjaer has vast European and international experience to his name, having also enjoyed spells at Roma, Sevilla, Wolfsburg and Lille among others, and was ranked 18th for the 2021 Ballon d’Or award,” Newbould wrote.
Should they go for a player who’s a free agent, the issue for Leeds will be the wages. Can the Whites afford it, and will any of these players consider dropping to England’s second tier to help Farke and his team earn promotion to the Premier League?
Leeds are hanging by a thread to avoid an injury crisis, so they must take action because the January window remains three months away.
