Leeds United likely to miss out on Ben Johnson
It’s possible that Leeds United lost out on Ben Johnson, a defender for West Ham, during the January transfer window.
Earlier this month, Phil Hay said that the Whites are interested in the adaptable defender and would prefer to sign him on loan.
Johnson’s £33,000-per-week deal at the London Stadium is coming to an end in a few months, and he will be available for free next summer. Leeds had to pay an upfront fee to sign him on a temporary basis, and the agreement ultimately fell through.
Daniel Farke has stated that finding a new defender is a top priority, but they have not been successful in doing so thus far. The Whites now consider it their top priority to sign a new full-back after losing Djede Spense and Luke Ayling this month.
This season, Johnson has had difficulty playing in regular games for West Ham. A wise addition to the team, he possesses an abundance of Premier League expertise. Furthermore, Leeds may have taken a chance as he will be a free agent in a few months.
David Moyes’ reluctance to weaken the team is reasonable, though, particularly given that he has no intention of signing a replacement at this late stage. Leeds would have had a better chance of signing the player if they had moved sooner this month. There isn’t a chance now.
Players like Neco Williams and Connor Roberts have been connected to the Whites this month. There’s no way that a Williams trade will happen, but Roberts may be signed. The Whites might have a chance to sign him because Burnley is willing to let him leave before tomorrow’s deadline.
In related developments:
Leeds has not made a single signing since the January transfer window started, and they have just over 24 hours to finalise any outstanding business. This means that time is of the essence for them.
With the loss of Djed Spence and Luke Ayling, Farke has made it clear throughout the window that he feels short on players, especially in defence.
Leeds has struggled to find suitable replacements despite numerous names being mentioned as possible additions to Elland Road, but none of them have materialised.
Finally, with time running out for Leeds to make a move, Farke disclosed during his pre-Bristol City press conference whether the team has really made any progress in landing someone.
Farke shares Leeds transfer update
If I may talk about a few secrets, there were one or two that were really near, then after that there was an injury, and we can’t afford to bring them in when they’re hurt, he added. I want to talk about other teams and players who are under contract with class, not about names.
It seems that right-back Daiki Hashioka, who had seemed destined to move to West Yorkshire until he joined Luton Town, is the closest person Leeds has signed this month.
The message when Hashioka moved to Luton was that injuries are a major factor in transactions that were “pretty close” but ultimately fall through, according to Farke.
After last week’s negotiations, Manuel Benson was another player Leeds had considered signing, but it looks like he will stay at Burnley.
Aside from David Brooks, Neco Williams, and Ben Johnson, other players who have been connected to Leeds will not be joining them.