BIELSA’S NOT PANIC BUYING

MARCELO BIELSA insists he will not panic buy in a bid to get Leeds’ promotion campaign back on track.

The Argentinian could be without seven players for tonight’s clash with Derby due to injury or suspension as the Championship leaders try to end their three-match losing run.

But the Leeds boss insists he will not be asking chairman Andrea Radrizzani to get out his cheque book because he believes he can cope with the players he already has.

Leeds are looking for a goalkeeper plus a replacement for playmaker Samuel Saiz and Bielsa insists quality is more important than quantity.

“We are lacking players,” he said. “If the club can bring in players, it will be only if they are better than the players that we have.

“In the next few weeks, we will have Dallas, Berardi, Phillips, Brown, Bamford and Douglas with us, so among the absences, we will have a reduction. That’s why I say that if nobody comes, we will solve the problems anyway.”

Bielsa claims Leeds cannot use their long list of absentees as an excuse if they fail to beat the Rams.

“We have the obligation to win the next game and we can win the next one,” he added. “We have just lost the last three games.

“The last one we deserved to lose, but the two Championship games, we did not. So we have no excuses not to beat Derby County.”

Bielsa is boosted by skipper Liam Cooper’s return a week early from his knee operation and believes his defensive linchpin “makes the team stronger”.