Leeds United probably don’t need a particularly busy January transfer window after a solid start to the Premier League season.
That might sound strange when the campaign is still relatively young, but Daniel Farke’s squad looks much healthier than it did this time last year. Competition for places exists across most areas of the pitch and, importantly, Leeds have already shown they remain a hard team to beat in the top flight.
That does not mean the squad are perfect, though.
If anything, the first few months of the season should make it easier for Leeds to work out where they can improve. Rather than waiting until January and scrambling around for whatever is available, the club should already have a pretty good idea of the positions that need strengthening.
And there are a few that stand out.
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The centre of defence is probably the most obvious one
Leeds have been using a back three, which naturally puts greater demands on the centre-backs. Joe Rodon’s injury has also shown how quickly the options in that position can become stretched.
Tarik Muharemovic has established himself as their star man in defence, while Nico Elvedi has started to get more opportunities. Jaka Bijol gives Farke another option, but adding another centre-back would give the manager a bit more security.
It would also let him rotate without weakening the back line too much.
Leeds do not necessarily need to spend a fortune on another defender. They simply need someone Farke trusts to play in a back three and step in when required.
The attacking options are another area worth looking at
Harry Wilson was brought in partly to provide the creativity Leeds were missing, and his quality is obvious. But his absence against Crystal Palace also showed how quickly the creative burden can fall on a relatively small group of players.
Brenden Aaronson, Noah Okafor and the other attacking options give Farke plenty to work with, but the American’s output in the final third has been atrocious.
Leeds will inevitably come up against teams who are happy to sit deep and defend for long periods. Those are the games where having somebody capable of unlocking a defence with one pass, a clever run or a moment of individual quality can make all the difference.
That does not mean Leeds should go shopping for another attacker simply because one is available.
They should be looking for a player who genuinely adds something to the squad.
Then there is the striker position
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s start to the season has been hugely encouraging, and he seemed to have picked up from where he left at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. But relying too heavily on one striker over a full Premier League campaign would be a gamble.
Calvert-Lewin’s fitness will obviously be monitored, but even if he stays fit, Leeds need to consider what happens when he needs a rest or when Farke wants to change the way his team attacks.
The answer may already be within the squad. It could also be a versatile forward who can play through the middle as well as from wide.
Leeds will have plenty of time to assess that before January
And that is perhaps the key point here – Leeds have no need to panic.
The club should not be looking at January as an opportunity to rebuild the squad. Summer recruitment has already given Farke a much stronger group, and players like Jean-Matteo Bahoya have barely had the chance to show what they can offer.
Instead, January should be about making the squad harder to weaken.
A centre-back who can comfortably operate in Farke’s system would make sense. Another source of creativity would give Leeds greater variety in attack. And some extra depth at striker could prove valuable if the demands of the second half of the season begin to take their toll.
Those are not problems to solve tomorrow. But Leeds can already see them coming.
And if the club gets its January business right, a couple of carefully chosen additions could be enough to turn a promising squad into one capable of sustaining its level throughout the entire Premier League season.
