Leeds United transfer "concern" raised which could dismantle Daniel Farke's squad | OneFootball

FLW's Whites fan pundit has given his views on the club's biggest potential issue after the campaign is finished

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...

FLW's Leeds United fan pundit is concerned about the Whites potentially having to sell off their top players in the summer transfer window if they are unable to seal promotion from the Championship this season.

Leeds' promotion-chasing campaign has faltered in recent weeks, and they now face an uncertain final month, with maximum points likely to be needed from the majority of their final seven outings of the season to guarantee a top-two finish.

Daniel Farke's side first ended a gameweek at the peak of the Championship back in November, and they had barely been knocked off top spot from then on until the last week of action commenced.

The Whites have won just one of their previous five league games, and they conceded an added-time equaliser to Swansea City last time out as Sheffield United leapfrogged them into first place with a win over Coventry City.

Leeds fan pundit makes summer transfer window concern admission

Leeds now sit second in the Championship, and are level on 81 points with third-placed Burnley. It is only their superior goal difference that has kept them in the top-two, but the Clarets will be smelling blood and are in much better form as the campaign edges closer to a conclusion.

The Whites were in a similar situation last season, and their poor run of form from April onwards meant they had to settle for third place and the play-offs. They reached the final against Southampton, but were beaten 1-0 at Wembley and so were forced to sell the likes of Georginio Rutter, Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Glen Kamara in last summer's window.

Supporters can certainly be forgiven for fearing the worst again this time around, given their recent displays, and FLW's Whites fan pundit, Ger Lynch, has expressed his concerns at how the upcoming transfer window could pan out for Leeds if they are still a second-tier club.

“My main concern for the summer transfer window is where Leeds will be, after what has been an absolute collapse in form since they beat Sheffield United in February," Ger told FLW.

“They’ve only picked up six points since then, which just isn’t good enough. The form isn’t good enough, so that means the entire summer is being extended in terms of the fact that they can’t go and start shortlisting and contacting players now for next year.

"They have to keep waiting and waiting and waiting. The longer they wait, the bigger the chances that they are going to miss out on targets that they might actually have. That’s a concern.

“If Leeds get promoted, it’s a certain calibre of player that needs to be brought in, and a certain valuation has to go on those players.

“But if Leeds don’t go up, then the biggest concern is that the wage bill is quite high, the parachute payments drop, and they may be in a situation where they have to sell the bulk of their squad, or at least the better players.

“They would (have to) try and bring in players below that level to try and fill those gaps, while still trying to get promoted.

“The concern for me right now isn’t necessarily losing players, it’s what division Leeds will be in next season. That is delaying the process of lining players up for next season, regardless of what league they end up in.”

Leeds

Leeds won 11 of their 15 league games between December 7 and February 24, with no losses in that time, as they looked set to cruise to automatic promotion with all their key players firing on all cylinders.

Their 3-1 win over Sheffield United at the end of that run looked to be a huge statement of intent in the race to go up, but they have won one, drawn three and lost one game in the five outings since that Bramall Lane victory, in a real dramatic turn of events and loss of form.

The Whites thought they had snatched all three points last time out against Swansea at Elland Road, as Wilfried Gnonto fired home late on to put them 2-1 up, but Zan Vipotnik levelled for the visitors in added-time, and they were left dejected once again as Burnley closed the gap in the race for the top two.

Boss Farke insisted in the aftermath of the draw that he is still "100% convinced" that his side will win promotion to the Premier League this season, but they need to get back on track as soon as possible to stop the Clarets, who have won four of their last five games, overtaking them as the season draws to a close.

Leeds will still have the play-offs to fall back on if they do not earn automatic promotion, but that would mean rolling the dice like they did last season, which did not go well as Southampton emerged victorious in the final at Wembley.

It would be, in no uncertain terms, pretty catastrophic for the Whites if they were to remain in the Championship for next season, with numerous key players likely to leave, despite their finances looking pretty healthy regardless of their league status.

It would leave them in a much worse position than at the start of this campaign or the last, and would be an especially huge blow after being so dominant at the top of the table for such a large part of the season. It is absolutely imperative that they win promotion automatically over the next month, and Farke is clearly still confident that his side will get over the line despite their recent lesser displays.