According to the reports from TeamTalk as cited by Birmingham Live, Leeds United are one of the many interested parties for the signature of American forward Gyasi Zardes.
Along with the Whites, Premier League outfits like Huddersfield Town, Crystal Palace and Fulham are interested in the striker. From the Championship, Middlesbrough and Norwich City’s names are also doing the rounds.
Zardes is an American international and has made 40 appearances for them, usually starting as a striker. The forward currently plies his trade with MLS outfit Columbus Crew and previously he was with LA Galaxy. The 27-year-old has no experience of playing football outside of the USA so it would be interesting to see whether he would fancy a move to England.
The fact that Premier League clubs also seem to be interested in him suggests that he is properly vetted. One of his major assets is his blistering pace and because of that, he can play on the flanks as well when required. Leeds United could be after a winger as Bielsa admitted (Leeds Live) that they need one after Pablo Hernandez was shifted to play in central areas after the sale of Samuel Saiz to Getafe.
Apart from bursting pace, Zardes is strong physically and he is often tough to shake off the ball when in possession. However, Championship football is likely to be the biggest test he has ever faced in his career, and the forward would definitely not find it straight forward to adapt to the English game. But one thing which works in his favour is that Zardes is an experienced man even though he might not have an experience of playing in the European Leagues.
As a striker, the signing of Zardes doesn’t make much sense as the Whites are well covered in that department. They paid huge money to land Patrick Bamford in the summer, so we don’t expect them to splash again for a striker especially when Kemar Roofe has emerged as a dependable option and the manager also has Bamford and Tyler Roberts as backups.
So Zardes only makes a case in this Whites lineup as a winger, and we do believe he can turn out to be a decent bet for Bielsa. The club might have to be a bit patient with him, but the player has all the raw ingredients necessary to thrive in the Championship. However, it’s not going to be easy for Bielsa to lure him as plenty of other clubs are also in the race for this American international.
