FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Leeds United v Leicester City - Elland Road, Leeds, Britain - April 25, 2023 General view of a corner flag inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
Leeds United has added right-back Jayden Bogle from Championship rival Sheffield United, making him their fourth summer transfer window addition.
The English defender has now joined the Whites’ roster after acquiring Joe Rodon and Alex Cairns on permanent contracts as well as Joe Rothwell on loan from Bournemouth.
After his squad was eliminated from the play-offs in May, Daniel Farke is trying to assemble a team that can advance and be promoted from the second division the following season.
The West Yorkshire team, who came in third in the league and narrowly missed the spots for immediate promotion, may now try to add players in an attempt to move up into the top two.
Pablo Hernandez’s extraordinary talent was a part of Leeds’ winning team during their most recent Championship season in 2019–20.
The Spanish wizard was the last member of the team to record double digits in goals and assists in a single season—a feat that wasn’t accomplished by any Whites player the previous campaign.
Farke might now be able to get Hernandez to Yorkshire by making a summer move for a player the team is rumored to be interested in.
Leeds enters the competition for a Championship star
As reported by MOTLeedsNews and Corriere dello Sport (26/07/2024), the Whites are among the teams interested in signing Norwich City wizard Gabriel Sara.
According to the article, Leeds has entered the race.
The former Sao Paulo wonder is reportedly being watched by Atalanta, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, and Galatasaray. This indicates that Farke may have a very tough time closing a deal before the summer window closes.
Leeds would need to persuade him to stay in the second division for at least another season in order to beat out teams like Palace, Leicester, and Atalanta in the fierce fight for his signature.
However, the article doesn’t say how much Norwich plans to seek for its star midfield player or if any of the other interested teams are willing to make a bid for him.
Nevertheless, Farke might have his own Hernandez if Leeds can close a deal for the 25-year-old Championship magician.
Pablo Hernandez’s magic in Leeds
For several years, the Spanish star lit up Elland Road every week, so it would be an understatement to say that he was a top performer for the Yorkshire team.
During his five seasons with Leeds, the former Valencia and Swansea City player was a reliable goal scorer and playmaker from a center or wide attacking position.
Hernandez was skilled at playing outside on the right flank or at number ten, finding gaps in the defense to work his magic in the last portion of the game.
The influence the Spain international made as a creator and scorer is demonstrated by the 36 goals and 41 assists he amassed in 175 club games across all competitions over those five years.
During Marcelo Bielsa’s first two Championship seasons, Hernandez’s efforts at the top of the pitch were especially noteworthy.
Under the Argentine manager, the right-footed magician scored an incredible 21 goals and provided 21 assists in two seasons in the second division, taking home the championship in the second.
Hernandez consistently delivered top-tier play for Leeds from an attacking midfield or wide position, as the table above illustrates.
In addition to contributing with goals of his own, the Spanish dynamo was always looking to carve up the opposition’s defense with cutting passes and crosses in order to generate excellent opportunities for his teammates to score.
Why Gabriel Sara might be the next Pablo Hernandez
Sara might replace Hernandez for Leeds even though their styles are so different because of his remarkable ability to score and create goals at a high rate at the Championship level.
The striker, who earns £19k a week, moved to Norwich from Brazilian team Sao Paulo in the summer of 2022, and he has already had two incredible seasons in England with the Canaries.
Similar to Hernandez in position, Sara is a left-footed attacking midfielder who can play centrally or on the right of the attack and create opportunities at the top of the pitch.
The table above shows that the 25-year-old star adjusted to life in England well in his first season before becoming an incredible operator in the 2023–2024 campaign.
Hernandez’s 2018/19 season statistics in the Championship are strikingly comparable to his performance under Bielsa, when the Spanish wizard scored 12 goals, assisted another 12, and created 16 “big chances.”
Sara, who analyst Ben Mattinson described as having a “magical” left foot, was in the top 6% of the division’s midfielders for goals scored without a penalty (0.29), and the top 4% for expected assisted goals per 90 (0.26).
Additionally, he placed in the top 9% for progressive passes per 90 (6.67) and the top 5% of his positional peers for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.96).
Sara possesses the ability to consistently create opportunities at the top end of the pitch, which makes him one of the best attacking outlets in the Championship according to these stats.
Farke must now move quickly to recruit the Brazilian wizard because of his exceptional skill in the second division, which suggests that he might become Leeds’ next Pablo Hernandez and record double digit goals and assists in a single season.
