Leeds United warned of ‘predictable’ outcome in new transfer message
Leeds United risk repeating their “predictable” end to last season if they don’t sign a striker in the coming weeks, Brian Deane has said.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post (16 January), Deane argued that come the end of the season, United’s sole priority must be able to mix things up in attack to win points by any means necessary.
Having become too easy to defend against towards the back end of last term, Deane urged the Whites to add reinforcements before 3 February, and avoid a similar fate this time around.
TV pundit Deane said: “If they can strengthen in the window, it would be great – once you get to March, April, May, you need to just get points. And to do that, you need forwards who can score different types of goals.
“One thing you don’t want to do is, you don’t want to leave it and then become predictable, which I think they did last year.
“I think if you’ve got four, five strikers in your squad that can do something a little bit different that will throw the opposition off, then that’s how you maintain your position.”
Leeds United cannot ignore urgent need for striker transfer
While having as many as five strikers to choose from may be a bit of a stretch from Daniel Farke’s perspective, the United boss cannot ignore that at present, he is somewhat starved of options.
Joe Gelhardt joining Hull City on loan suggests that the Whites’ striking stocks are in rude health at the moment, but Patrick Bamford’s latest injury leaves just Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph to choose from.
Joseph hasn’t been anywhere near as prolific as many thought he would be at the start of the campaign, and despite being the Peacocks’ top scorer with 10 goals, Piroe has plenty of his own deficiencies.
Farke has been quick to distance himself from transfer talk concerning a new striker after Bamford’s injury, but with proven Championship goalscorers on the open market, United risk missing the boat.
Across two spells at Elland Road, Deane was hardly a prolific scorer himself, but he certainly offered that “something different” which Farke’s side need to make use of, if they’re to get themselves over the line.
In other Leeds news, one of United’s transfer targets “dreams” of a move abroad as his current club explore a January exit.
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