Leeds need to target specific signings in order to bolster their squad and these three League One bargains will help in that regard.

If Leeds are to seriously challenge for the play-offs next season then improvements in the squad are needed because their lack of a clear transfer strategy is hurting them currently.

Paul Heckingbottom proved in his time at Barnsley that he doesn't necessarily need star players to produce results and players that can excel at a specific role in a collective shape are his speciality.

League One is filled with exciting talents that can be poached at bargain prices due to the difference in stature between Leeds and the club in that division, so here are three players that could help Leeds mount a promotion push by improving key areas.

Forster-Caskey is a promising youth central midfielder who could act as a screen in front of the Leeds defence. He excels at breaking up opposition attacks, which is important because Heckingbottom likes his teams to absorb pressure in certain stages of the match.

Having someone who can cut out danger in the centre of the pitch before it reaches the defence eases the burden on the defenders, which gives them time to properly focus on any danger that manages to get around the midfield.

Leeds have suffered from chronic bouts of inconsistency, so signing Forster-Caskey would go some way to stopping that by giving them greater control in matches while also having the ability to deal with opposition spells of pressure.

It would also add depth in a key area because he could be rotated out with Ronaldo Vieira, Eunan O'Kane, Adam Forshaw and Kalvin Philipps.

Powell is one of the star players in League One and could easily make the jump to the Championship. He is the creative hub of Wigan with three assists as well as 12 goals.

His assist numbers may not look that impressive because he is often playing the key pass in the final third regardless of whether it is the assist or not.

The ability to unpick the opposition defence has helped Wigan significantly as they currently find themselves in third place with nine games remaining. However, they have three games in hand with wins in all of them putting them top of the table.

Powell is only 23-years-old so he could act as the long-term replacement for Pablo Hernandez. The Spaniard looks like he is going to extend his stay at the club, but he is 32-years-old so they need to plan a future without him.

His transition into the first-team wouldn't be too hard because he has experience playing in the Championship with Wigan last season where he managed an impressive six goals from 21 games.

Marriott is a simplistic addition, but a key one, nonetheless. He brings goals and lots of them with 23 this season for Peterborough in League One.

His goals have helped propel Peterborough up the league table into seventh place with one point separating Posh from the play-offs. He isn't limited to just goals, though, because he also has five assists to his name in the league this season.

The 23-year-old striker has worked his way up the football pyramid and has age on his side along with the other two players mentioned in this article.

He could provide serious competition to Pierre-Michel Lasogga, Kemar Roofe and Caleb Ekuban. None of them have been consistent goalscorers this season with Ekuban yet to find the target, Roofe on nine goals and Lasogga just above him as the club's top goalscorer with 10 goals.