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 will evaluate the flaws in their roster as the 2024–25 Championship season progresses over the coming months. The No. 9 spot is one that might get better once the January window begins.
The Whites suffered a great deal of goal loss this past summer when Georginio Rutter left for Brighton & Hove Albion and Crysencio Summerville joined West Ham United.
Three of the six games Leeds has played this season—five league matches and one EFL Cup match—have ended in a scoreless draw. Thus, the team’s ability to score goals consistently may be a problem this season.
Though the January window is three and a half months away, the striker position is unquestionably one that needs improvement. Although Mateo Joseph has shown promise, expecting the 20-year-old to handle all of the goal-scoring responsibilities may be asking too much of him.
Furthermore, he demonstrated against Burnley that he is not invincible in big-time games. Commentator Scott Read of the BBC wasn’t shy about criticizing Joseph for missing a chance to tie the score for Leeds.
Read described the incident as “a terrible mistake at the back and a huge get out of jail free card for Burnley.” Theoretically, they ought to be behind 1-0. However, Mateo Joseph’s finish is abhorrent.
Patrick Bamford, meanwhile, has sustained an injury, raising doubts about his ability to play the whole season healthy. Leeds will need to locate another No. 9 who can regularly score goals for them if Bamford is plagued by injuries.
Leed will provide manager Daniel Farke with the money to acquire a new striker in January, according to a Sunday report from Football Insider. Eliezer Mayenda of Sunderland is not likely to be acquired since the Black Cats don’t want to bolster a possible opponent for promotion.
If Leeds decides to sign a striker, the player may come from outside the country because Championship teams can choose not to support their opponent. Can they persuade the player to move to the second division in England? The Whites were linked to a number of good players throughout the summer, but convincing them to participate in the Championship was the biggest challenge.
