Leeds United are in the market to add another centre-forward to Daniel Farke’s attacking arsenal before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.
The Whites have already swooped to bring Lukas Nmecha in on a free transfer from Wolfsburg to provide depth in that area of the pitch, but they are looking to swoop for another one.
Farke knows that he needs to bolster his options across the pitch after his side won the Championship title to secure promotion to the Premier League, and the German boss is reportedly looking at a number of high-quality number nine targets.
One player who does not look likely to end up at Elland Road this summer, though, is Fulham centre-forward Rodrigo Muniz, who is not for sale.
This means that the Whites will have to look at alternative targets to the Cottagers striker, and one player who has been mentioned is Lecce marksman Nikola Krstovic.
What Nikola Krstovic could bring to Leeds
It was recently reported that Leeds are ‘pushing’ to secure a deal for the £21m-rated Montenegro international from the Serie A side, but it remains to be seen whether or not they can get a move over the line in the coming weeks.
If the Championship champions can wrap up a transfer for the 25-year-old centre-forward, though, he could bring a lot of attractive qualities to Elland Road.
Krstovic scored 11 goals in the Serie A for Lecce last season, and provided his teammates with five assists, which shows that he can provide a threat in the final third in a major European league.
The £21m-rated star also won 4.9 duels, at a success rate of 41%, per game in the Serie A, proving that he is a physical striker who can compete in battles with opposition centre-backs.
Appearances
35
37
xG
11.62
12.05
Goals
7
11
Non-penalty xG
9.26
9.68
Non-penalty goals
6
9
xA
1.65
1.68
Assists
1
5
However, as you can see in the table above, there would be a concern over how sustainable his goalscoring is because of his finishing quality in the last two seasons in the Italian top-flight.
He has underperformed his xG in both seasons in the Serie A, by between five and six goals, and this suggests that he may not be a reliable finisher for Leeds.
Therefore, despite the other qualities he could offer, it might be better for the Whites to look elsewhere for a new striker, and they are reportedly interested in one who would be even better than Krstovic.
Leeds considering move for Championship star
According to Football Insider, Leeds United are currently considering whether or not to bid for Norwich City centre-forward Josh Sargent this summer.
The report claims that the USA international is ‘firmly’ on the club’s radar, as they eye up multiple number nine targets, and that Farke is the driving force behind their interest in the striker.
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Sargent was signed by Farke in the summer of 2021 when the German head coach brought him to Carrow Road from Werder Bremen, but the Canaries sacked the manager after just a couple of months of working with the forward.
Former scout Mick Brown has told Football Insider that the boss is “driving the interest” for the Championship marksman, who made the PFA Team of the Year ahead of Joel Piroe.
Brown added: “They’re not the only ones interested, so if they want him they might have to move quickly. Sometimes that interest from other clubs can force people into making a move even if they weren’t quite certain about it before, so we’ll see.”
This means that Leeds may have to decide whether they want to bid for the £21m-rated striker sooner rather than later, to avoid missing out on him.
Why Leeds should sign Josh Sargent
The Whites should swoop to sign the American centre-forward this summer because he could arrive as an even better signing than Krstovic, despite the fact that he played at a lower level last season.
Whilst the Montenegro international was strutting his stuff in the Serie A, Sargent was grinding it out in the Championship with Norwich and caught the eye with his impressive performances.
Of course, some fans may only remember the forward’s output in his Premier League season with the Canaries, after he scored just two goals in 26 games in the 2021/22 campaign.
But that was his first season in English football, as a young striker, and he often played out wide to accommodate Teemu Pukki, in a team that was relegated to the Championship.
Appearances
40
28
32
xG
10.51
12.07
13.32
Goals
13
16
15
Shots on target
41
32
30
xA
3.79
2.74
3.17
Assists
2
2
5
As you can see in the table above, Sargent has thrived since those initial struggles in that Premier League season, outperforming his xG in all three of his second tier campaigns.
These statistics suggest that the 25-year-old star, who was hailed as “phenomenal” by former teammate Ashley Barnes, has the potential to be even better in front of goal than Krstovic, as he has a history of being a clinical finisher, whilst the Lecce ace has underperformed in the last two seasons.
Sargent could also be a better signing than the Serie A marksman because of his pre-existing relationship with Farke and his experience in English football, which could help him to hit the ground running faster than Krstovic.
Leeds may need a fast start to the season to gain enough positive momentum to push them away from an early relegation battle, which is one of the reasons why the Norwich star could be a very shrewd signing for the club and why they should go from considering a bid for him to actually making one.
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