According to reports in TeamTalk as cited by Leeds Live, Leeds United are one of the interested parties in Leyton Orient star forward Macauley Bonne. Along with Leeds, the likes of Derby County, Nottingham Forest and Norwich City are also keeping track of this non-league star. However, latest interview by Orient’s boss Justin Edinburgh makes it clear that they are not willing to sell their star forward in January.
Bonne has been performing incredibly well as he has racked up 16 goals in 22 games this season and looks set for a big deal in the future. Last season, he bagged 25 goals in all competitions, and the Zimbabwe international was crowned player of the season.
His prolific displays in non-league has brought a lot of attention towards him, but Leyton’s manager is having none of it and was recently quoted as saying (Via East London Advertiser),”Macauley will not be going anywhere. He will be here until the end of the season – I can guarantee that.”
Given that the manager sounds so confident of holding him gives us the impression that even the player is keen on staying until the end of the season. However, moving to the second division would definitely be tempting especially when clubs vying for him like Leeds and Norwich are also in line to move to the Premier League.
The Whites have done well so far this campaign and have hovered around the top three throughout the season. They have been set back by injuries of late, but they are still able to eke out results.
As far as signing Bonne goes, the 23-year-old would have been a handy addition, but it would be foolish to expect a significant impact straightaway from a player who has been playing in the non-league so far. Bonne certainly seems to have the talent and an eye for goal but moving up to the professional level is a different proposition altogether.
Bielsa had already indicated (Leeds Live) that there won’t be too much or any kind of business in the January transfer market. Even if a signing happens, it is likely (our opinion) to be that of a goalkeeper or a defender. In terms of a forward, the Whites have the likes of Kemar Roofe, Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts. With Bamford set to come back earlier than expected, United don’t really need to go in the market to sign a forward especially when Bielsa is already keen on working with the current crop of players.
Maybe in the summer, the Whites can again chance their arm to land Bonne as he seems destined for big things at the moment. If he carries on with his prolific goalscoring record for another six months, then he would undoubtedly have a big deal on his hand from one of the bigger clubs in the English League pyramid.
