A disastrous closure to the campaign denied Leeds United promotion to the Premier League yet again despite a blistering start to their 2018-19 season. Although they have successfully retained Marcelo Bielsa as the Elland Road chief, the club must find a strategy to lure in talents to ensure a top-flight return after years of despair and anguish.
The Whites have been linked to an array of youngsters over the past few months, but the failure to attain Premier League football would complicate things for them in the transfer market. They have previously been linked to a move for Florian Aye (According to the Mirror,28 April, page 64), but are now set to be rivalled by Massimo Cellino – the former club owner who left Leeds in complete catastrophe before Andrea Radrizzani stepped in.
Cellino, surprisingly, did an incredible work at Brescia since purchasing the Serie B side a couple of years back. They are now back in the top tier of the Italian football and have reportedly joined the race to rope in the 22-year-old centre-forward, according to Tuttomercatoweb.
Aye, the former France youth international, started his senior career at French outfit Auxerre before completing a low-key switch to Clermont Foot last summer. There he enjoyed an impressive spell having scripted an 18-goal campaign in Ligue 2 and is now backed for a high-profile transfer either to Italy or England.
Leeds, meanwhile, need serious reinforcements in the ongoing window and should splash the cash to cope up with injury woes. Kemar Roofe had a majestic start in front of goal but faded off lately after being sidelined for months. Patrick Bamford struggled to settle in Bielsa’s free-flowing football and Tyler Roberts, the young Welshman, could not prove himself as a natural goalscorer despite bagging a few when both Roofe and Bamford were struggling with fitness concerns.
The Yorkshire giants were pretty much in the promotion chase back in April. They, however, are in the backfoot now having suffered heartbreak against Derby County in the playoff semifinal. Leeds won’t be able to offer top-flight football for the time being but should not give up on Aye yet in spite of all the complexities and constraints after Cellino’s intervention.
The Frenchman is quick inside the box and swift with his movements while finding the net from various angles. His work-rate is praiseworthy, and the promises exhibited last season would see him making significant strides in the upcoming years.
