Having endured a rather horrible winter so far, Leeds United fans are pretty much crying out for some change. Though the vast, vast majority of fans want to see Marcelo Bielsa stick around, some fans have admitted they want to see some big changes in the playing squad. Though Bielsa is known for having a smaller squad, investment is expected in the January window as Leeds look to arrest a worrisome 2021-22 season.

However, some fans have wondered just how much money will be on the table. Having invested huge sums of money into players since returning to the top-flight, it is not expected that a big budget will be available. That being said, according to key reports around the Leeds beat there could be funds to spend.

When it comes to Leeds, few people on the press circuit have a better handle of the club than Phil Hay. The former Yorkshire Evening Post regular is now part of The Athletic’s coverage of the club, and is regarded as one of the most on-point Leeds journalists out there. In his recent podcast, the Phil Hay Show Podcast, Hay offered a very intriguing insight into how Leeds could be spending money in the January transfer window.

What was said about transfer spending for Leeds United?

On his podcast, Hay opened up about the importance of getting deals done at a good value for the club. He also noted, though, that shareholder investment would likely play a big role in determining how much Victor Orta and Bielsa are spending on players in January. On this point, Hay said: “Budget-wise, you’d be looking at more shareholder investment so there would be money there if it was put in basically,

“I don’t see them stretching to £50million of expenditure in this window. For what it’s worth, I don’t think too many clubs will do that.”

Expanding on this point further, though, Hay added: “How the money would arrive or where from or whatever else, I honestly cannot say that. But the bottom line is if you need money, you have to find money and if you need players, they will need to create a budget for it.

“The size of the budget depends exactly on what it is you’re going for and who you’re going for. There probably are players out there who are quite cost-effective and Swift seems to me to be in that category of players who if they do like, can’t be that expensive.

“I might be wrong here but the idea of really big-money signings in this window doesn’t seem too plausible.”

So, fans should probably be expecting some of the reports linking the club with players out of contract in the summer of 2022 – players like Reading midfielder John Swift – to be more likely than any big name signings from abroad.

However, given the need for bodies who can press and run, any new signings would be seen as a huge positive for the club moving forward.