Champion League
Phil Hay worried about striker situation
Highlights
- Leeds United’s lack of goal-scoring choices at striker is a priority going into the brand new season.
- The membership has made contact with Swansea Metropolis over Dutch ahead Joel Piroe, who has a very good observe file within the Championship.
- Piroe’s spectacular purpose involvements in earlier seasons may present Leeds with a strong basis for his or her assault.
With Leeds United about to embark on their first season within the Championship for 4 years, journalist Phil Hay is apprehensive about the place the objectives will come from and who may be Daniel Farke’s Teemu Pukki in white.
Leeds United switch information
Earlier than the mud had even settled on the Peacocks’ relegation from the Premier League final season, gamers began searching for a approach out of the membership, and after Sam Allardyce was proven the door, it did not take lengthy for a number of the first workforce to observe him.
Thus far, the membership have despatched four players out on mortgage, together with latest signings Rasmus Kristensen, Brenden Aaronson, and Marc Roca. That quantity may quickly be 5 as Maximilian Wober seems more likely to be a part of Bundesliga aspect Borussia Monchengladbach within the coming days.
That mentioned, the membership nonetheless, at this level anyway, possess a good lineup of attacking broad gamers, akin to William Gnonto, Luis Sinisterra, Crysencio Summerville, and Jack Harrison.
Nonetheless, while these gamers are definitely ok for the Championship, the choices at striker of Patrick Bamford and Gerorginio Rutter could possibly be an issue and do not fill Phil Hay with a substantial amount of confidence going into the brand new season.
He defined his emotions on the state of affairs on The Sq. Ball YouTube channel:
“I do nonetheless discover myself asking, ‘Who’s going to be his Teemu Pukki on this workforce? Who’s going to attain 20-plus objectives? I am not both Rutter by way of the center or Patrick Bamford by way of the center and considering you have obtained a lifeless cert there for 20-plus within the season to come back.
“I might additionally say, and I believe you are proper right here, that whereas they’re nicely served out broad with choices, they usually positively are. I am unsure that there’s any person who’s completely suited to that central inventive function.”
Who’ve Leeds United been linked to?
With the placing state of affairs wanting slightly worrying, have the membership been linked to anybody that might are available and assist transfer the membership ahead this season?
Nicely, the excellent news is that, in response to WalesOnline, Leeds have made contact with fellow Championship aspect Swansea Metropolis over their free-scoring Dutch centre-forward Joel Piroe.
The Welsh publication has revealed that the participant has refused to signal a brand new contract with the Swans and that due to this, his valuation could possibly be decrease than the £20m it was final summer season.
Whereas the 23-year-old is not at present the Whites ‘main focus’, he can be a superb buy because of his proficiency within the second tier over the past two seasons.
In his first yr in English soccer, the 6 foot 1 dynamo scored 22 goals and supplied six assists in simply 40 begins. He adopted that up by scoring 19 goals and offering two assists final season in simply 43 begins.
Thus far, the Dutchman has 49 purpose involvements in his 7293 minutes of Championship soccer for the Welsh membership, which means he has produced a purpose involvement each 148 minutes, or as soon as each one and a half video games or so.
Whereas it may not fairly be as prolific as Pukki was for Norwich Metropolis within the 2020/21 and 2018/19 seasons, it is nonetheless massively spectacular and would give the remainder of the workforce a superb base upon which to construct.
If Leeds can get this deal completed, it may go a good distance in easing Hay’s issues.
