By Craig Scott

12th Apr, 2020 | 7:00pm

MOT View: Striker linked with Leeds in Jan has 5 goals in last 7, would've been better than JKA

Leeds United took their time in their hunt to sign a new centre-forward in January and even though the club did eventually land Jean-Kevin Augustin, the Frenchman’s impact on loan at Elland Road has been next to nothing.

Augustin, 22, has struggled to get up to speed with his fitness, has had an injury setback and is unlikely to be fluent with Marcelo Bielsa’s tactical system.

Even though Patrick Bamford has struggled to get among the goals since January, Augustin is yet to start a game for Leeds and it with the coronavirus-enforced suspension of the Championship, it could be a while before he gets the chance to do that.

Augustin, so far, has been a bit of a flop and that raises questions about whether he was the right striker for Leeds to sign in January after losing Eddie Nketiah.

One striker who was linked with a move to Elland Road was Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths and we believe he would have been a better option for Bielsa than Augustin.

The Daily Star reported in January that Leeds United were preparing to table a bid for the 29-year-old, who has scored 115 goals in 234 outings for the Scottish giants.

Since the January transfer window closed, Griffiths has scored five goals in seven Scottish Premiership appearances for Celtic.

Although he has had his off-field issues, as well as a couple of injuries, in recent years, he has remained fit since November and hasn’t missed a league fixture for the Bhoys since November 10.

Before Augustin joined Leeds on loan from RB Leipzig, he was hardly playing for Monaco in his temporary spell in Ligue 1. It means that Augustin had a lot of fitness work to do that Griffiths wouldn’t have.

Griffiths’ stats for Celtic this season have also been as impressive – if not more impressive – than Bamford’s in the league.

According to WyScout, Griffiths has averaged 0.86 goals per 90 minutes of Scottish Premiership action compared to Bamford’s 0.39 in the Championship.

Griffiths has averaged 3.83 shots at goal per 90 minutes with 45 per cent of them hitting the target. In comparison, Bamford has averaged 3.42 shots per 90 minutes with 37.2 per cent hitting the target.

Scotland international Griffiths has also averaged more passes, crosses, dribbles and aerial duels per 90 minutes of league action than Bamford this season.

Yes, Griffiths has done that in the Scottish Premiership – a league which isn’t as strong as the Championship. However it just shows that the ex-Wolves striker would have been a more suitable option for Leeds than the unfit and untested Augustin.

In other Leeds United news, Chris Wood has suggested Leeds fans may have been too negative towards him.