Exit news: 49ers already planning new move for 20 y/o Leeds gem in January

Leeds United are already planning for the January transfer window and have already identified a pathway to first-team football for a gem from their academy.

Leeds pick up vital win

A 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Friday night moved Leeds up to third in the Championship, continuing their early push for promotion under Daniel Farke.

Goals from Pascal Struijk and Mateo Joseph were enough to inflict the Blades’ first defeat of the season and move Leeds level on points with their Yorkshire rivals, with Leeds’ only loss of the season having come against newly-relegated Burnley back in September.

It was a professional performance from the Elland Road outfit, not allowing Sheffield United a shot on target across the 90 minutes as they restricted Chris Wilder’s side to just 0.2 expected goals, while they themselves tested the opposition goalkeeper four times on top of their two goals.

It comes against a backdrop of injuries for Farke, who has lost key midfield duo Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu to long term knee injuries and who only has Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka as options in his engine room as things stand, though they are working to address that issue through the free agent market.

Their squad shortages meant that teenage duo Charlie Crew and James Debayo were among the substitutes against Sheffield United, though they were not required. However, it is another young talent at Elland Road that is being prepared for the first team.

Leeds make January decision on Thomas

That comes in the shape of young talented forward Luca Thomas, who is highly regarded among the setup at Thorp Arch.

The 20-year-old had scored six times in five Premier League outings before securing a loan move to York City earlier in the week. He enjoyed a dream debut as he scored his first goal for the club in a 4-0 thrashing of Ebbsfleet United just 15 minutes after coming on as they continued their strong start to the season.