Leeds United were brought back down to earth on Tuesday evening as they crashed out of the Carabao Cup at Elland Road following a 2-0 defeat against 10-man Preston North End.

After Storming clear at the top of the Championship the Leeds supporters are beginning to believe that a promotion push could be on the cards this season, even with Bielsa’s first defeat to consider.

The midweek result is unlikely to spike the optimism at Elland Road as Bielsa made 9 changes to his starting eleven in order to ensure he has fresh legs available when his side face 2^nd place Middlesbrough at Elland Road on Friday evening.

In the aftermath of proceedings, Phil Hay produced his standard post-match report for the Yorkshire Evening Post and stated that Connor Shaughnessy was fortunate not to be substituted before half-time, implying that Leeds are in desperate need of further reinforcements at centre-back before the loan window slams shut.

With Hay’s admission in mind, Bielsa simply must react to his side’s glaring defensive shortage and address the problem before the deadline by contacting his old friend Mauricio Pochettino and pleading with him to sanction a loan deal for Juan Foyth.

The Argentinian centre-back is showing no sign of breaking into the first-team at Tottenham this season, especially now Toby Alderweireld is back in the starting eleven and thriving at the heart of defence.

Considering the circumstances a loan deal is in the best interests of all parties concerned: Foyth would have greater exposure to first-team football, Leeds would address a major problem with a high quality acquisition and Pochettino could rest easy in the knowledge that Tottenham’s prodigy would be receiving a rich footballing education.

Time is running out for Bielsa to complete a deal for a central defender and Leeds’ promotion ambitions are dependent on his ability to bolster his defensive options before the deadline, so he simply must turn to Pochettino as soon as possible before his side are left desperately short in a vital position.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!