A relatively quiet summer transfer window didn’t help Leeds United even though they have led the Championship table for a good part of the season. The Whites are currently reeling with injuries as one player after another is queuing up for the hospital bed. Pontus Jansson is the latest defender who has gone down, and that presently leaves Marcelo Bielsa with only Liam Cooper as the first choice centre-back option.
Along with that, Gaetano Berardi and Luke Ayling are also sidelined for a considerable time and it could very much happen that the Whites might go in with the centre-back pairing of Conor Shaughnessy and Liam Cooper after the international break. On the bench, we might see some players from the academy, and Leif Davis could be one of them.
However, with the crunch time of the season approaching, going in with such an untested backline could spell doom for the club and Bielsa should probably look to bring in defensive reinforcements soon instead of waiting until January for the transfer window to open. We look at three free agent defenders which the West Yorkshire outfit can bring in.
Steven Caulker
There were reports in the summer that United could make a £1.5m move for this England international. Now, the Whites can get him in a much sweeter deal as he was let go by Dundee after he triggered a clause in his contract. Still looking for a club and just 26, the former Tottenham defender has the potential to fill in as a centre back.
Robert Huth
The former German international and Premier League winner was let go by Leicester City in the summer and is still on the lookout for a new club. There were reports earlier that the player was open to a move to Elland Road, but the Whites went on to rule that out. However, given the current situation, the club should look to snap him up on a short-term deal.
Set pieces have also undone Bielsa’s men in the last few games, and someone like Huth is known to be aerially dominant. Not so long ago, he led Leicester City to the title, and the 34-year-old was a dominant force at the back. We still believe he could do a job in the Championship and Bielsa should consider him.
James Collins
Similar to Huth’s situation, Collins was let go by West Ham United after his contract expired. The 35-year-old has experience of playing in over 270 games in the Premier League and even until last season, he was used by David Moyes during certain phases of the campaign and went on to make 13 appearances in the Premier League in the 2017-18 season. Leeds can consider signing him on a short-term contract to deal with the injury crisis.
