Leeds United boss Daniel Farke will have to compromise on some of his habits heading into next season. Despite being a brilliant coach, his squad management has been a bit of a concern in recent seasons.
Two years ago, Leeds crumbled in the run in and fell to the play-offs. They eventually lost the final to Southampton. That season, they dropped a lot of points late in games because Farke sometimes refused to play fresh legs. Former Manchester United player Lee Sharpe spoke about this recently:
“Leeds need to recruit wisely and rotate the starting eleven more this time around. Two years ago, they didn’t rotate the team enough, which meant they would tire in the last 15 or 20 minutes of games. As long as they get the basics right, they’ll give themselves a good chance.”
This season, Farke chose to work with a small squad, only a core of players managed more than 30 starts this campaign.
QUIZ: Can you name the season these 10 Leeds United shirts are from?
Leeds United could complete deal for Serie A star
Credit: Imago Images
When the club get to the Premier League, they will be forced to use the full extent of their squad. This may be why Leeds are planning to strengthen areas they are stacked in.
This week, reports linked the whites with a move for Udinese defender Jaka Bijol. The Slovenian international added to the rumours by saying that he is open to the ‘next step’ in his career.
Sources at the Yorkshire Evening Post confirmed on Monday that Leeds are ‘confident’ of signing the defender. But the asking price is expected to be around £18-19million.
Club are working on the spine on the team
The reports this month have clearly shown that Leeds want to improve the spine of the team. Most of the targets are goalkeepers, central defenders, central midfielders and strikers. If the Whites are able to nail the quality in those areas, filling in at fullback and out wide will be much easier to do.
