Leeds could bag a bargain with striker who does what Nketiah couldn’t at Elland Rd – MOT Tactics
This article is part of a regular series from Leeds United Twitter account All Stats Aren’t We – the team also host a brilliant podcast that goes in-depth into the tactics of Marcelo Bielsa and a deeper look at the underlying stats. This article is from Josh Hobbs…
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As well as Luke Freeman, the other player Leeds United were linked with on Sunday was Barnsley’s Cauley Woodrow.
Being that he’s a key player for them, this would be a tough one to pull off, but I personally think if Leeds could manage it, he’d fit the bill perfectly.
The numbers he’s posting in a team fighting off relegation are very impressive. I particularly like what I see re duels and interceptions.
He’s already used to playing a pressing game at Barnsley, as they are ranked second only to Leeds as the division’s top pressing team. (Wyscout)
This was an aspect of the game that Eddie Nketiah never quite grasped at Leeds. As Bielsa said, ‘he runs to find space, Bamford runs for the needs of the team.’
Woodrow’s goalscoring and xG numbers being above average already suggest that he’d be able to come into the side at Leeds and score. His passing is also impressive, which is important as he’d need to contribute to build-up play.
Outside of his stats, I think Woodrow fits the bill as it’s going to be extremely difficult to attract loans after it didn’t work out with Eddie. Woodrow may well see this as a big opportunity for him to step up.
He’d know he’d be behind Bamford, at least to begin with, but he’s got talent and may well back himself to force his way into the team. Again, the question here is whether Leeds can tempt Barnsley. Perhaps this is where a bid goes in and we see whether he asks to leave.
It feels like a challenging one to pull off, as most transfers are in January, but personally I feel if Leeds came out of the window with the two players they’ve been linked with today, they’ve come out of the window better off than they went in.
In other Leeds United news, ‘No-brainer signing’ – Exclusive: Paul Robinson urges Leeds to sign £40k/wk ace after Sat news