Leeds United have been inconsistent since the turn of the year, but they still managed to occupy the pole position in the Championship table after the latest round of fixtures. Marcelo Bielsa has had to fight off injuries, an exit of a key player in the form of Samuel Saiz and a January transfer window disappointment where they failed to land their prime target Daniel James.
There is no doubt that the Whites’ squad is thin and Bielsa has had to play quite a few players out of position to fill in for the injured players. Recently former England and Leeds United defender Tony Dorigo was asked which player he would sign right now for the Whites if given a chance to which he replied, Dwight Gayle.
Dorigo was quoted as saying on the LS11 podcast, ”Who’s going to guarantee me about 10 goals between now and the end of the season? Gayle at West Brom, I suppose. He’s a bit of a goalscorer. Just someone that it goes off his backside and goes in, rather than doing 23 passes and having a wonder-goal. Someone like that.”
We would disagree with Dorigo’s remarks at the moment as the Whites have some decent options up top. Kemar Roofe has led the line with aplomb and has managed 14 goals so far in the Championship. Apart from that, the Whites have Patrick Bamford who has done relatively well after coming back from injury.
Roofe has been shifted to play in an attacking midfield role of late, and the Englishman has done well to fill in that position which has opened up space for Patrick Bamford to lead the line. He was earlier playing second fiddle to Roofe but has now got a chance to prove his worth on the pitch. The club also has Tyler Roberts at their disposal, and the young English striker had done well when the likes of Roofe and Bamford were both out with injuries last year.
Therefore Bielsa needs to sign a winger or an attacking midfielder at this point of the season instead of signing an out and out striker like Dwight Gayle. The Whites were also thinking on similar lines in January as they targeted Swansea City winger Daniel James, but the move fell off (Daily Star) at the last moment.
Jack Harrison and Ezgjan Alioksi have been below par in the wide areas, and the club could do with a natural winger at the moment. If United can have Bamford and Roofe available for the rest of the campaign, then we believe the duo can do a better job than Gayle up front.
