Who is paying for the Christmas shopping

Leeds United are heading into a crucial period of time, and arguably one of the most important transfer windows in the club’s history.

Jesse Marsch will be hoping, that the powers that be will give him the money he needs to bring in new faces, not only to strengthen the squad and give him more options but to also add some much-needed quality in key areas. Quality players in the Premier League are hard to come by unless you have a substantial purse to dip into. Leeds will need a minimum of a left-back and a striker, but many feel a centre-back and attacking midfielder must also be on the wish list. Whilst it seems simple to many, the January window is notoriously hard to bag a bargain. Clubs don’t want to sell a 20-goal-a-season striker unless the money is right. So, if the Whites are to splash the cash on some much-needed quality, who will foot the bill?

Do you want a full 49'ers takeover? Yes, Radz needs to sell Vote No, it's working fine Vote

Leeds will be into the final year of the 49’ers takeover option by the time January comes around, and Andrea Radrizzani faces a dilemma. Like selling an old car, do you do the repairs on it before you sell it, knowing you will be selling a superb, well-oiled machine? Or do you neglect the issues it has and leave that to the new buyer? Based on Jesse Marsch’s comment recently, he sees no sign of Radrizzani neglecting his sturdy Fiat in the upcoming months, so with Leeds needing major investment, the real question is, is he going to upgrade to a Ferrari in January, and who is paying for it?

Will Radz actually want to pump money into something he won’t be around much longer to enjoy, or will he leave it to the imminent new owners to pick up the bill? As usual, the fans have been kept in the dark about the whole situation with nothing said from the chairman since August, when he declared he is here for the long term. It is clear that any decision by Peter Lowy, Jed York and the others buying the club, will be made at the end of the season, and league status will definitely be on their minds.

Many factors will affect the transfer window Leeds will have. Will both sides of the ownership model be prepared to back the manager? Will the Augustin nightmare alter the budget? We still don’t know who, or if anyone, is going to be leaving the club and there are also issues surrounding players on contracts that are close to expiring. One thing for certain, if this is done on the cheap, then we are in for another nail-biting end to the season, and one I will be fearful of the ending.

The Vital Network is unique from other football content providers as all the sites are run by the fans, for the fans. We are looking for a writer to join our Leeds United site. If you can write well-constructed, thought-provoking opinion pieces alongside reporting on current events and breaking news then I want to hear from you. Email paddy@snack-media.com.

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