Ask the Leeds United fans how they feel right now and no one will complain after what Garry Monk has managed to do in recent months since taking over in the summer. It was never going to be an easy ride when he was placed on the hot seat and four defeats in the first six games heaped pressure on the young manager’s shoulders. Since then, though, Leeds have played like a team worthy of being in the playoff spots.
Leeds are fifth in the League right now and with the January transfer window open, Monk has a good chance of ensuring they sign the right players to aid their push for promotion. The team has shown good defensive solidity but still need some fresh faces in the attack.
Wood and Doukara have done a good job so far, but with fixtures piling up, they’ll need at least one more player to ensure that the absence of one doesn’t affect the team. In a bid to do that, Leeds have been linked with West Ham United attacker Ashley Fletcher who has found game time hard to come by.
West Ham signed a few players in the summer but injuries haven’t been kind to them. Fletcher has had nine substitute appearances this season and hasn’t been able to get on the scoresheet yet. However, he did manage to score one past his former club Manchester United in the League Cup, a game West Ham eventually ended up losing.
Fletcher has pace to burn and can play off the shoulders of defenders. He is still pretty young, so a move to the Championship could help him in his development.
Players like Patrick Bamford and Dwight Gayle have shown that even though they might not set the Premier League on fire, they’re effective strikers in the Championship where the quality of competition isn’t the same.
Fletcher had a decent loan spell at Barnsley where he managed five goals in the League and that was enough for West Ham to convince him to join the club on a free transfer.
Leeds are reportedly willing to pay £1.5m for the striker. There were talks that they wanted a loan deal, but that has changed as they want a permanent deal now. West Ham have lost Andre Ayew to the AFCON and considering hey have an injury prone striker in Andy Carroll and the versatile Michail Antonio to fill in, it’ll be hard to sign the lad.
