Leeds United have several big decisions to make ahead of the January transfer window. The board are prepared to make money available for Daniel Farke if he wants to bring in new players in the middle of the season. However, several are not pulling up their weight at Elland Road at the moment and the club will have to take some tough calls about moving on a few players.
The Whites are on the same number of points after 18 games at this stage of the season as last year and they look like they will be in the race for automatic promotion again until the end of the campaign.
Leeds are approaching a crucial winter transfer window with fans clamouring for new signings to further bolster their chances of getting promoted to the Premier League.
However, Daniel Farke is known for being extra cautious about signing players in the middle of the season and is said to be wary of playing around with the balance and harmony of his squad by bringing in fresh faces.
The Leeds boss needs to get over his inhibitions and spend in January but he will also have to make a decision on the future of a few Leeds players who do not seem to be a massive part of his plans at Elland Road.
What’s the point of Isaac Schmidt at Leeds United?
Leeds signed Schmidt from FC St. Gallen in the dying embers of the summer transfer window and he seemed genuinely excited about moving to Elland Road.
The left-back spoke about his eagerness to experience the passion of English fans and play for a club of Leeds United’s size going forward. However, Schmidt has hardly played since his arrival and seems to be struggling to win the trust of the Leeds boss at this stage.
He has played a grand total of ten minutes in four substitute appearances and has not made the matchday squad for Leeds in the last three league games.
At this stage, he might as well not be at Leeds given the fact he has not emerged as a genuine option for Farke to use in the first team since his arrival.
With weeks left in the window, Leeds and Farke will have to take a call on his future. Is he good enough to command a place in the Leeds squad or should he be moved on?
If the Swiss is not seen as up to the level required, Leeds should move him on in the winter window and look to bring in a replacement who can be a genuine option for Farke.
At this stage, Schmidt is looking like a waste of money and a waste of squad space for Leeds and the club can’t afford both as they chase promotion.
He doesn’t look like he is going to get any games anytime soon
The question is how is he going to get any reasonable game time in the coming weeks or months?
Junior Firpo is the first-choice left-back and should he pick up an injury, Leeds United would have other options such as Sam Byram and even Max Wober can play in that role.
Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu is also on his way back into the squad after recovering from a serious knee injury he sustained earlier in the season.
A defender and central midfielder by trade, Ampadu can also double up as a full-back and has the ability to play in both the right and left side of the Leeds defence.
Schmidt has hardly got any game time while Ampadu and Byram were out injured but their return could doom his career at Leeds. It remains to be seen whether the Whites are ready to move him on in the January window.
