'It puts prices up' - Farke reveals Leeds United January transfer reluctance after Ayling exit

The difficulty of the January market is no secret to Leeds fans, who had it reiterated to them a number of times by the club during the Marcelo Bielsa tenure and while Victor Orta was director of football. The Whites find themselves in another mid-season market with a number of needs, particularly at full-back now that both Djed Spence and Luke Ayling have been allowed to leave Elland Road.

Spence was sent back halfway through his loan spell from Tottenham Hotspur, before Leeds agreed to Ayling's request to go on loan to Middlesbrough. Farke has previously revealed that the injury issues suffered this season by left-backs Sam Byram, Junior Firpo and utility man Jamie Shackleton have weighed on his mind, but he prefers not to reveal too much about transfer desires in January.

"As you know I'm a big fan of being open and honest and what we need to do - I was the same way in the summer," he said. "I have to say I'm a bit more careful in January because this market is difficult. We have a few areas where we are a bit too little in number but I also know the January market is difficult.

"The players on the market at the moment are those coming from injury or are not playing. No one is tempted to give players away who are playing regularly. In the summer you have pre-season, friendlies, you don't have this in January - or you have to spend crazy money and this is what we can't do. For that, I'm always a bit careful to speak publicly about what we do in January."

The manager is also reticent to make other clubs aware of what it is Leeds feel they need to do, in order to protect the hand they hold at the negotiating tables.

"Of course we have a few positions it would be great to strengthen," he said. "It also doesn't help if I speak publicly if we need to bring in a player in this or that position, in negotiations, it just puts the prices up."

Ayling's departure has made what was already a young and relatively inexperienced squad even lighter in terms of battle-hardened veterans, but Farke anticipates difficulty in replacing the right-back's experience this month. He also believes Leeds have to be cautious about simply adding young players to boost squad numbers.

"It's more difficult, sometimes some young players are allowed to go out on loan but it doesn't make sense just to bring numbers in or a young player who has not played in the last six months," he said: "If we do a deal, it's not out of panic, we have to prepare perhaps some things with unity and togetherness.

"This is also how we approach this window, we're working a lot behind the scenes but it's difficult to bring quality and experienced players in. We have to be a bit more patient but we are carefully optimistic.”