Leeds United will be picky in transfer market with Daniel Farke feeling 'comfortable'

Crystal Palace were expected to sign the Wolverhampton Wanderers striker for around £50m. Doubts were starting to emerge at the time of going to press but with Fulham also interested, it seems unlikely he will be at Elland Road when the window closes at 7pm on Monday.

It is a blow for Leeds, but not one that will push them into a transfer for the sake of it insisted Farke, who was disappointed not to sign another striker in August but has seen free transfer gambles Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lucas Nmecha pay off.

"We can allow ourselves to be picky because we're not a club cut into pieces and we need to change a lot," argued Farke, whose side sit six points above the Premier League relegation zone after 23 of 38 matches.

"We definitely won't extend the size of the group because we're a proper size with good options.

"Apart from this I don't want to speak too much publicly. In the summer I like to be transparent because it's a bit easier for me. The January market is always a bit more tricky.

"The club knows exactly what I think we need to do during this window. Before the window is shut, I'm not willing to give too much away.

"For example, if I would tell you we need another No 8 (box-to-box midfielder) – I use this example because we don't need a No 8 – then a potential club in negotiations also knows this and the price goes up.

"It makes no sense right now to mention in which position we are perhaps desperate to do something or want to do something.

"I can give an assessment of this window after it is closed, but not before. But I can confirm I'm in a very relaxed and very good situation."

Playmaker Facundo Buonanotte – loaned from Brighton and Hove Albion – is Leeds' only January addition, with Jack Harrison the only senior player to leave, loaned to Fiorentina with an option to buy.

Calvert-Lewin has nine goals this season and form prompting talk of an England recall. Nmecha, an injury doubt for Saturday's league visit of Arsenal, has five.

Farke argued January is a particularly difficult market for Leeds this year, and he is very pleased it is.

"It was a bit easier to find players who would improve us at Championship level,” he noted.

"And what also makes it a bit more tricky – and thank God it does – is we are in a good position and have shown really good performances. If we would have been hopeless, it would be relatively easy to find players who could improve us.

"Then you have to sometimes take a gamble or bring a player in who hasn't played a game for weeks or months. But we have proper competition in the squad.

"In January everyone knows there are limited options available, you could buy overpriced players. This is also what I don't want us to do.

"Players normally come in on loan because they want to play but it's difficult to guarantee this (when your) players have delivered so much.

"If you have a look at the teams who have performed really well, there is not much business so far. It's normally a good sign that you don't have to repair too many mistakes.

"Of course, if there are two or three long-term injuries (straight after the deadline), you would have hoped to have done even more business.

"But if everyone stays fit and available and you sign two or three more players, it could affect the spirit.

"I would rather die the death of not having a group that is too big."

With Daniel James in team training, Leeds’ injuries are short-term.

Nmecha felt a hamstring problem in the warm-up at Everton but could return against Nottingham Forest. That is a possibility for Jaka Bijol but his return will more likely be later.

"Gabi Gudmundsson has progressed much better than expected,” added Farke. “He is not in team training yet (but) there's perhaps even a little chance that he makes it for this (Arsenal) game."