Leeds United have been quite inconsistent in the Championship in recent weeks, picking up merely two wins in their last five matches and are still eight points adrift of second-place Ipswich Town.
Having spent so long in third in the 2023/24 campaign, the Peacocks have been overtaken by Southampton who are on an 18-game unbeaten run and look primed to move into the top two.
If Leeds are to get some consistency, Daniel Farke may need to dip into the transfer market to bolster his squad ahead of the final few months of the season.
Leeds United transfer news – Daniel Farke
It was revealed by journalist Darren Witcoop that Leeds United are interested in signing Welsh defender Connor Roberts before the January transfer window closes, a claim that has since been corroborated by Phil Hay of The Athletic – who has stated that the full-back is someone Farke and co are "looking at".
It has also been reported by The Mirror (January 11, page 53), that Burnley are willing to cash in on the Wales international this winter as Roberts has gone from being a promotion hero last season for the Clarets to a mere squad player, with his market value now sitting at just £4m, as per CIES Football Observatory.
Furthermore, Leeds lost Djed Spence once the January market opened up as Tottenham Hotspur recalled the fullback from his disappointing loan spell, while Luke Ayling has moved to Middlesbrough on a permanent basis. Farke needs to add depth to his backline and Roberts could potentially fill this void.
Connor Roberts' stats this season
Having been a mainstay in Burnley's squad last season, playing in 43 of the side's 46 Championship matches, Roberts was instrumental in helping the Clarets to escape from England's second tier at the first time of asking under Vincent Kompany.
However, this time around, the Welshman has become a rotation player, particularly in recent weeks. The 28-year-old has not started a single Premier League match for Burnley since a 3-0 loss to Brentford in October in which he received two yellow cards and was given his marching orders.
With Wales in the Euro 2024 playoff against Finland, Roberts may be looking for regular first-team minutes to ensure his place in Rob Page's lineup, having been so good in the past for his country. The Athletic journalist Laurie Whitwell even claimed that Roberts "finishes like a striker" after scoring a goal to seal a 2-0 victory against Turkey in Euro 2021.
A move to Elland Road may be the best scenario for the fullback. It has been reported over the past month that left-back Junior Firpo is keen to leave the club this winter, having played just 279 minutes of competitive football under Farke. What makes Roberts special is that he can comfortably play on the opposite side of the defence too and has slotted in as a left-back 16 times in his career, scoring once and grabbing as many assists.
In this sense, Farke would be killing two birds with one stone as Roberts can cover as both a left-back and a right-back. However, the experienced defender won't want to sit and take his place on the bench if he moves to Leeds. Based on his stats from an excellent campaign in the Championship last year, Roberts could be coming for both Archie Gray and Sam Byram, particularly the latter.
Goals
0
0.1
0.06
Expected Goals
0.01
0.08
0.07
Assists
0.04
0.16
0.06
Expected Assists
0.03
0.09
0.09
Progressive Passes
4.05
7.37
5.26
Passing Accuracy %
83.1
85.7
79.9
Key Passes
0.54
1.05
0.86
Passes To Final Third
4.01
5.33
2.96
Passes To Penalty Area
0.23
1.25
0.72
Ball Recoveries
5.86
4.59
5.72
Stats via FBref
Farke has put massive faith in young Gray this season and will likely not drop him to the bench, but Byram is now on the wrong side of 30 and so the German coach could be looking at potentially replacing the former West Ham United defender.
Furthermore, Byram is right-footed and so is Roberts, which suits the way Farke's team attack this season. With experience and quality, this could be an excellent signing by Leeds.
