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3 players Leeds United must consider moving for in January

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Leeds United’s summer business kept most of the first-team intact as Marcelo Bielsa looks to build on a brilliant first season in the Premier League.

The transfer window shut at the start of this month and while there is nothing Leeds can do to rectify certain shortcomings in the squad, there will be plans in place to have a look as January looms in the distance.

Not many incomings will be looked at in a tough winter market, but perhaps the chance to let some fringe players go could come across at Elland Road.

Bielsa has done extremely well to keep the nucleus of this squad largely together since he joined in 2018, and to get them to a ninth-place Premier League finish in three years here is astounding.

There will be others in the squad that might be worth considering for a departure before the end of the season.

Here, we take a look at three players that the club could consider moving on in January

Adam Forshaw

The first name on the list is someone who is having an awful time of it under Bielsa, but at no one’s fault whatsoever.

Forshaw was one of the first names on the teamsheet under the Argentine up until September 2019 where a strange injury has forced him into surgery and a ridiculously long road to recovery.

He’s seemingly past that injury and a part of Bielsa’s squad again, with his appearance in the EFL Cup against Crewe Alexandra proof of his capabilities to play in this side.

While that performance was a strong outing for him, he’s since suffered another setback and it’s getting to the point where we simply cannot lean on him as part of our first-team squad.

If it got to the point where we’re in need of playing Forshaw in the Premier League, we’ve already worn ourselves too thin and it’s a huge burden for someone who’s barely kicked a ball for two years.

His contract is up in the summer, so a January move could generate a bit of cash for the club before he potentially leaves for nothing in 2022.

Rodrigo

A player that is presenting a really difficult problem for Bielsa is Rodrigo, who arrived at Leeds last summer for a record £27million fee.

The issue here is that he’s caught between two positions at Elland Road.

Rodrigo arrived as a natural striker, but that’s a role that has been well and truly locked down by Patrick Bamford right now.

The other being his current residence in attacking midfield, which is quite obviously not his strong point with his defensive work not cutting it right now.

There was interest in the forward late on deadline day as Barcelona came knocking, but Leeds rightly turned it down with virtually no time at all there to replace him.

However, with plenty of time ahead of January, it wouldn’t be a shock to wonder whether the club has considered an exit for the Spaniard, especially if plenty of the funds can be recouped.

Someone who fits the system much better could be a better way to spend the funds we used on Rodrigo, and if that opportunity presents itself, then there could be a decision to be made.

Ryan Edmondson

A more speculative name here, but another player that would be best finding a new permanent home is striker Ryan Edmondson.

Having sealed a loan move to Fleetwood Town, he is clearly surplus to requirements when it comes to our youth ranks, with how well Sam Greenwood, Joe Gelahrdt, and Max Dean are progressing.

We’ve seen from the other side how tough it is for players to regain confidence as they get stuck in a loan cycle (Izzy Brown and Lewis Baker), so it’s best if we don’t allow the 20-year-old to follow that pattern.

Whether that be letting Fleetwood make his stay there a permanent one, or opening the floor to bidders from across League One, either way, it seems best for all parties that he settles into a new home long-term.

He’s a striker that still has a lot of potential, but he’s not going to be able to demonstrate that by moving club every season with no chance of getting near our first team.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.