"No excuse for the 49ers" - Leeds United owners told to break the bank in January after Gus Hamer play | OneFootball

The Whites are aiming to get back to the Premier League after two seasons away

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds United were taken over by 49ers Enterprises last summer, with the club looking to bounce back into the Premier League at the earliest opportunity.

The Whites fell at the final hurdle last season, with Southampton emerging victorious in the playoff final, leaving Daniel Farke to pick up the pieces and go again in the current campaign.

The Yorkshire outfit will be looking to learn from their mistakes from last year, with a lack of mid-season investment into the playing squad costing them dear in the long run, and staring down the barrel of another season in the second tier.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s Leeds United fan pundit Kris Smith about the one demand he would have of his clubs owners at this moment in time.

Leeds United need to learn from past mistakes regarding January transfer business

Leeds have started the 2024/25 campaign as strong as ever, with just one defeat from their opening nine league matches of the season.

Four wins and four draws see Farke and his troops sit in the chasing pack as we head into the international break, with a freak Illan Meslier blunder seeing them drop two points in their last outing against Sunderland.

Despite that fine start, United have been rocked by the news that Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu will be out for the foreseeable future due to injury, leaving the promotion-chasers needing to shuffle the pack with two first-team regulars on the sidelines.

With resources set to be stretched between now and January, Smith is adamant that his side learn from past mistakes when it comes to the January transfer window, and invest in the playing squad to make sure promotion is achieved.

When asked of one demand of the club’s owners, Smith told Football League World: “I am quite an optimist when it comes to the 49ers at the moment, given that we are in a far stronger position in terms of infrastructure and the squad, than we were when they first took over the club after relegation.

“With that, we have the best possible chance of promotion this season, compared to our rivals, and should we keep our squad intact going into 2025, that means we are all set for promotion really - barring a catastrophe and a crumble.

“January is vital for every team that is pushing for promotion and getting that extra boost with a couple of signings to get over the line is really important that Leeds get right this time around.

“Leeds can’t afford to let that pass by again, we only signed Connor Roberts last season, and that can’t be the case this season.

“Injuries have shown that we aren’t really blessed with a huge squad at the moment, and we are going to need bodies in the door come January.”

Leeds United have the funds to bolster playing squad in January

Having had to sell a number of players to adhere to the EFL’s financial regulations over the summer, Leeds have proven that they are now able to splash the cash to bring in new recruits when they need them.

A late £13 million bid for Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer proved as much in the last week of the transfer window, with a player of the Dutchman’s quality likely to make the difference over the course of a Championship season.

While the Blades playmaker may be unattainable at this moment in time, Smith has urged his side to go all out to achieve promotion this season, with reinforcements required all over the field.

Smith continued: “We have the money for an attacking midfielder - we put down £13 million for Gustavo Hamer, and that money is clearly there to be spent on someone of that quality.

“So, there should really be no excuse for the 49ers being able to sign someone that could blow the league away in attacking midfield.

“Away from that though, we do have loan spots available for other spots that remain thin or need reinforcing since injuries.

“Centre-half is an issue, we only have three fit centre-backs. Midfield, with Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu out until January, and up front as well with Mateo Joseph at 20 not looking like a totally prolific striker.

“Joel Piroe is scoring but not looking like a number nine, and Patrick Bamford is unable to stay fit, that is a position that I would be looking at as well, that is a demand I would have of the 49ers.”