Leeds United have ‘regret’ at failing to land a top-quality striker in the summer window and are working hard behind the scenes to rectify that in January, we understand, and amid fresh speculation suggesting a Celtic star could be on their radar.
The Whites secured promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking and signed 10 new players this summer to try and furnish Daniel Farke with a squad capable of surviving back among the elite. However, four defeats in their last five games, now leaves Leeds in a perilous position and a daunting run of fixtures after the international break looks set to pile on the relegation pressure at Elland Road.
While Leeds needed to upgrade several positions for their return to the Premier League this summer, they did so at the expense of not spending a great deal of money on their attack.
They spent some £18m (€21m, $24m) to sign Swiss winger Noah Okafor from AC Milan, but their only other investments in attack were free agents Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, with the pair having just three goals between them.
Per data, 11-times capped former England striker Calvert-Lewin has missed four big chances from the five to have come his way this season, leaving Leeds to not gain the wins some of their performances earlier in the season perhaps deserved.
Now, off the back of that profligacy in attack, we understand Leeds are doing all they can to try and bring in another striker in the January window and right those wrongs of the summer.
Transfer insider, Dean Jones, has shared what he has heard, but has cautioned their wish with the very obvious difficulties that lie in the January market.
“Leeds need a striker and my info is that they are going to try hard to make it happen in January,” Jones told TEAMtalk.
“They should have signed someone else before the season began and there is a sense of regret over that. They are working to make funds available, but must find the right blend of good value and good experience and reliability. It’ll be something they look towards in the early part of the window…”
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Leeds face competition from two rivals
While the club are keeping potential targets under wraps, for very obvious reasons, the January window is a notoriously difficult market for teams to do business in.
Sides are often opposed to cashing in on their top stars mid-season, while any deals can often come with over-inflated fees attached to them if selling clubs can sell such desperation.
There is also the stigma attached with moving in the January window and players will be all too aware of the pitfalls that come with signing for a team who are potentially likely to finish the season playing outside the Premier League.
Add into the mix that there are a range of other Premier League sides, often with similar needs and taking a look at similar targets, then it is easy to see why Leeds will want to keep their cards very close to their chest and setting wheels in motion early ahead of the window actually opening to try and get a head start on the competition.
As Jones explains: “Strikers are hard to find at the best of times, and if you look around the Premier League, there isn’t very much scope to sign out-of-favour players. There’s not much about!
“We know that Everton and West Ham are also looking for a striker, and these clubs are all looking to unlock the same sort of deal. Leeds know they could end up in competition for the same targets on the market.”
Of course, Leeds will also need to carefully consider PSR and in light of claims made by managing director Robbie Evans, who spoke in the hours that followed the closure of the summer window, to suggest that the club had pushed their financial limitations as far as they could without breaching the rules.
And while that will remain a factor in the club’s mind, the club are working hard to provide some wriggle room on that front.
Latest Leeds news: 119-goal Celtic star linked; Farke sack update
One of those players that Leeds could look at is Daizen Maeda, after sources told us he has made it clear he wants to leave the Glasgow giants in the January window.
The 28-year-old has a very impressive record north of the border, meaning a deal would not be cheap, according to our transfer insider, Fraser Fletcher.
Despite that, Leeds are among those being credited with a potential move for the 119-goal striker, though the Whites appear to trail before Everton and Brentford as things stand.
Meanwhile, two sources have claimed Farke has been given a target by which to prove himself worthy of keeping his job at Elland Road, with the manager’s own metrics likely to force him out and with a prominent pundit claiming the sack now looks “inevitable”.
Finally, following Sunday’s painful loss at the City Ground, Jamie Carragher has delivered a detailed rundown on how Jaka Bijol played a major role in Leeds United’s downfall in the game, brutally ripping apart one of his actions that led up to a crucial goal.
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