Leeds United’s attempts to secure that elusive final attacking addition leaves Daniel Farke short for the first half of the season, but recruitment staff will already be looking ahead to January for transfers.

Deadline day came and went with Leeds not making a single new signing, and fans were rightly voicing their opinions online about the lack of incoming movement.

Daniel Farke himself made it clear the type of player he wanted to sign after Noah Okafor’s arrival, wanting a creative attacking midfielder to aid United’s consistency in opening up Premier League opposition.

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The club’s failure to do so leaves them with the backup option of looking to the January window, where ideal signings are few and far between. But they’re not impossible, as players’ contracts dwindle towards expiry in 2026.

Here, we look at three January transfers the club could look to in order to address Farke’s long-standing dilemma…

Harry Wilson – Fulham

The first and most obvious name that Leeds could pursue in January is Fulham’s Harry Wilson.

(Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge)

Wilson was the main subject of Leeds’ failure on deadline day, their response to having Facundo Buonanotte pinched from under their noses, and someone who would add a different skill set to Leeds’ attack.

A left-footer firstly, Wilson’s balls striking from outside the box is something Leeds’ current attacking options don’t possess, and would bring  goals from new situations for United.

Not only is Wilson capable of contributing goals through his wicked left foot, but his delivery from out wide and from dead balls is something Leeds are sorely lacking.

The recruitment focus to bring in several 6ft-plus signings was smart, but was missing the final signing that binds them all together – a player to take consistently dangerous set pieces.

Daichi Kamada – Crystal Palace

Another attacking midfielder Leeds could target from a Premier League rival is Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada.

Having signed a two-year deal at Selhurst Park in 2024, the Japan international has had a somewhat mixed spell at Palace, unsurprisingly given he’s typically been an attacking midfield understudy to the departed Eberechi Eze.

(REUTERS/Scott Heppell)

At 29, Kamada’s expertise has largely been on display in the Bundesliga, impressing at Eintracht Frankfurt as a two-footed, versatile creator in the final third.

Like his compatriot at Leeds Ao Tanaka, Kamada’s spatial intelligence finds him in dangerous pockets consistently and as a result, he could be the creative pass-first number 10 that Farke’s been crying out for since he joined United.

Mario Stroeykens – Anderlecht

A riskier punt would be the previously-linked Anderlecht talent Mario Stroeykens, now into the final year of his deal with the Belgian giants.

Stroeykens, currently 20, can operate in virtually any area across the attack despite most of his football being listed as a central playmaker.

(REUTERS/Johanna Geron)

His development into a guaranteed starter has seen him become an attacker not only capable of beating a man 1v1, but also cutting a side open with his passing too, adding skills to his arsenal that indicate he’s got a bright career ahead.

Whether or not he’d be capable of enhancing Leeds’ starting lineup in January to drag the side to safety is tough to predict, but as a long-term investment, he could be someone to consider, given his contract situation.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!