Elland Road chief lifts lid on summer striker pursuit after 'critical' Leeds United window assessment
Leeds United tried to sign a new striker this summer but failed to do so.
The Whites were keen to add to the department, despite already having Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the club.
Daniel Farke welcomed seven new faces as over £85million was spent on additions, but no centre-forward arrived.
This was despite the decision to allow Joel Piroe to join West Ham on loan well before the deadline.
It seems like Farke is opting to go with one natural number nine up top this season, with other wide and central attackers just behind him.
Now, Robbie Evans has revealed the truth behind Leeds' pursuit of a striker in the summer after a review of the window itself.
What Leeds were not trying to do with potential striker signing
Leeds were linked with signing Conrad Harder from RB Leipzig, but the young forward joined Strasbourg on loan in the end.
He was just one of several strikers who were linked with a switch to Elland Road, but the Whites were just not able to bring in a new hitman.
Leeds held an open Q&A with the media recently, and managing director Evans faced up to the questions.
In comparison to the strikers that other Premier League sides brought in, namely Zian Flemming to Ipswich Town, Evans was quizzed on why a number nine was not recruited.
Evans said, as quoted by Leeds' official website: "The phrase 'main striker' is critical here, in terms of discussing a striker or the other possible backup roles."
"There was no desire at all this summer to find a striker who was going to compete with or take over for Dominic’s spot.
"It was never going to be a number-one striker this summer for us. That's where the constant collaboration with Daniel was critical."
He stated that the club filled the areas they needed to, assessing various components like long-term planning, character fit and more.
It also seems like a suggestion that Leeds were in the market for a young understudy to Calvert-Lewin more than anything, and that makes sense considering the push for Harder.
Overall, he and the recruitment team feel "proud" of the work done by Leeds in the summer window.
Leeds already have striker plans in place for January
The Whites look set to add a new centre-forward to their ranks in January.
This is due to the fact that Leeds are open to selling Nmecha in the winter window.
The German currently has only nine months left on his deal in LS11, so January will be the final chance to get some money for the forward.
That said, he will need to be replaced, but only if the player does not renew his contract by then.
Money will be used directly from Nmecha's sale to fund the search for his replacement, should he not sign a new deal.