According to reports in the Turkish media, Kasimpasa striker Mbaye Diagne is still interested in making a move to England. Reportedly during the transfer window, Leeds United were the team who held talks with the Turkish club regarding the sale of their Senegalese striker. It was believed that the Turkish outfit was demanding £3.6m for their target man. Nothing materialised at that time, and the move fizzled out. However, the major stumbling block in his signing was believed to be the work permit issue.
It is also being reported that the former Juventus youngster is eligible to apply for an Italian passport and that would mean that he wouldn’t require any work permit to play in England. So the move can be simplified come January if the striker decides to get an Italian passport.
However, does it make sense for United to go after him? We’ll answer that later but first, let’s look at what would he bring to Elland Road and how he has been performing off late.
The 26-year-old was signed by Antonio Conte in 2013 when he was the manager of Juventus, so there must be something special about the forward. His current goal-scoring form also suggests the same as he has scored six goals this season in four games.
Now you must be thinking that’s a small sample size, so to prove his worth, we take his form since he arrived at Kasimpasa in January from Chinese club Tianjin Teda. His performance has been electric, to say the least as he has managed 18 goals and two assists in 21 games since January. If he continues like that for the next two-three months, the Whites should consider making a move for him.
United have done well so far this season as Kemar Roofe has led the line with aplomb. Such is his quality that Bielsa’s big summer signing Patrick Bamford is struggling to make the first team. So one might think that United are well covered in the attacking department for the time being. However, in a long season, every striker would have to contribute, and the Whites would hope that the likes of Roofe and Bamford are available throughout the season.
Though Diagne makes a good case for himself, Bielsa might trust the player he has at his disposal. The plans can change if from now until January either of Bamford or Roofe suffer a major injury and in that case, the forward line would start to look thin. It is unlikely that Kasimpasa would demand that kind of price again if Diagne continues to impress. The Whites didn’t spend much in the summer window, so we do expect some business to be done by the club in the January window, and Diagne could be a good option to reinforce the attacking depth of the side if there is a significant injury setback in the team.
