Leeds United are already looking ahead to January it seems in terms of making new signings.

The Whites are once again right in the promotion picture in the early days of the Championship season but will be well aware of what happened last season when they fell away from Sheffield United and Norwich.

However, the club are already laying the groundwork to bring in new faces, with the Express reporting this weekend that the club are set to challenge Newcastle for the signing of Chelsea youngster, Reece James.

James spent last season out on loan with Wigan Athletic and was massively impressive for the Latics throughout the campaign. This season has seen him back at Chelsea, but he has so far struggled to get any game time this term thanks to a mix of his teammates good form and injury to himself.

The youngster is a fine talent, however, and we here at FLW think that Leeds are bang right in pursuing him.

With that, we looked at TWO reasons why they need to ensure they beat Newcastle to his signature in January...

Just look at last season

You only have to look at what happened last year to see Leeds need to bring people in in January if they are in a similar position.

Sheffield United brought in Gary Madine and Kieran Dowell to get them over the line, while Leeds struggled with injuries to key men and ground to a halt.

If they can get it right in January this year and they are in and around the top two, then adding a player like James makes perfect sense.

He's got the quality and versatility

Leeds play a certain way and Marcelo Bielsa demands a certain standard from his team. There's little question, then, that James could fit in with the demands of the Leeds manager.

He showed last season how good he can be. Whether it's in midfield or deeper in the back four, James has all the qualities to be a top player.

Another six months in an environment like Elland Road can only do him the world of good in the long-term.