By Gabriel Agbonlahor

26th Oct, 2023 | 11:37am

Agbonlahor tells Leeds United to raid Championship rivals in January after what he's seen

Gabby Agbonlahor has urged Leeds United to “spend big” on several “experienced Championship players” and “Premier League players who aren’t getting a game” in January to rocket their promotion chances.

The former Aston Villa striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed signing top second-tier players on short-term deals could be key in returning to the Premier League.

Leeds fell to a 1-0 away defeat at Stoke on Wednesday (25 October), already leaving them nine points adrift of second-place Ipswich Town.

Leicester, who were relegated with the Whites last season, lead the pack with 36 points – 14 more than Daniel Farke’s side.

The Yorkshire giants lost a number of key men in the summer window but brought no fewer than nine players in to compensate for those losses.

Among those new signings is striker Joel Piroe, who is the Whites’ top scorer with five league goals.

Nevertheless, Agbonlahor believes Leeds need more in January to strengthen their promotion credentials.

He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “I would go and spend big in January.

“Premier League players who aren’t getting a game, but also experienced Championship players.

“Sometimes you have to have two teams. You need a side to get you into the Premier League, and then you end up scrapping them.

“Go and get experienced Championship players from the other top sides. They’ve got the money.

“Give them short-term contracts so you don’t end up tied down to big deals.

“They’ve got to be clever in January to make sure they get over the line.”

In other news, Leeds set for £20m+ payout 15 months after deal agreed.