Why Ethan Ampadu's first-team return at Leeds United could have impact on January transfer window thinking — Yorkshire Post 6/12/24

By Leon Wobschall

JUST as December can alter the complexion of a league table for many clubs – for better or worse -it is a hectic time of year when other things also change the narrative of a season.

Little passes Daniel Farke by and he is very wise to that notion.

The Leeds United manager has been in the game long enough to know that while the busiest time of the domestic football calendar in England -incorporating the Christmas and the New Year period - carries significance in terms of results, developments elsewhere can be just as important.

Farke’s sagacity extends to never being one to speak too much about forthcoming transfer windows either and with good reason.

He had already gone public to state that he expects a ‘quiet’ window for Leeds in January.

Of course, he is also shrewd to the fact that circumstances can shift. An injury to a key Leeds player in a particular area this month, for instance.

Equally, he is conscious that influential players who return from injury around this time can also have the effect of being a ‘game changer.’

Which brings us nicely to Ethan Ampadu.

The Leeds captain, a talismanic figure not just on the pitch but on a day-to-day level at Thorp Arch, is back in full training and is ahead of schedule in regard to his first-team return.

The best case scenario regarding him being back involved is now the ‘middle of this month’, Farke revealed.

The sight of Ampadu back on deck might not represent a ‘new signing’, but it’s all about perception. The Wales international has been out since late September and missed the club’s last 11 games, a quarter of the season.

As for January, Farke said: "I have been long enough in this business to know that strange things can happen and you can never rule out anything.

"Even in the summer, I didn’t expect it would be such a busy summer with so many key transfers for us. Actually, it was not the plan, but sometimes, you have to react to the reality and for that, you cannot rule out the window.

"It’s a while until the window opens and I don’t want to take too much about this as we have a lot of games before the fourth of January and then you can draw a line and have a look on what the situation is.

"Hopefully not, but potentially there could be some injuries to key players and in which positions and (you look at) how is the situation. But if you ask me right now, I don’t expect going through it all in January.”

The successful return to action of Ampadu, who suffered knee ligament damage on September 28, would only have positive ramifications for Leeds. It could be as major as anything in the winter window.

It would provide a trusted option in the heart of defence or in front of the back four. It could also free up, in theory, one of United’s current deep-lying midfielders - namely Ao Tanaka or Joe Rothwell - to be pushed upfield into a number ten role, if needs be. And avoid bringing in a ‘ten’ from outside potentially.

Farke continued: "I have to say I am happy with my squad and that good players are coming back and there’s so good news with Ethan Ampadu, who is also back in training after being out for such a long time.

"This is all connected and it would perhaps free up one of our midfield players to use them in a bit of a higher role.

"For that, we don’t take the decisions too early. At the moment, I am far away from making a judgement.”

Ampadu had been originally expected to be back in the first-team reckoning at the start of 2025, making the sight of him returning to the training pitch with his team-mates in the first week of December a particularly uplifting one.

More especially given the time of the year when football demands are high.

"He's back in full team training this week, he looks good in training and can handle the load," said Farke.

"Normally I would use a player when out for such a long time after two or three weeks of team training. So it's definitely good he's two or three weeks ahead of schedule, it's a testament to his professional work in rehab.

"He was desperate to come back as soon as possible. He's our captain, our most important player in the whole squad. I'm a bit tempted to bring him back even earlier than in two or three weeks.

"If we will use him in the upcoming games, we'll see. It depends a bit on who is available or not.

"It's definitely good he's back and each day is beneficial for him. It could be he's even involved before the middle of December."

Farke has confirmed that Sam Byram (hamstring) will miss Saturday's game with Derby, while Junior Firpo (foot) is a doubt – with United facing a potentially big decision at left-back. Isaac Schmidt is available, but is not an option for '90 minutes' according to Farke, with Max Wober remaining an option from the start.