Leeds United have signed ex-Spain international Thomas Christiansen as their new manager in the last week and are expecting good things from him. Christiansen is also well aware of the fact that he is up for a big challenge to get the Whites into the Championship playoffs in the forthcoming season, which they could not achieve due to some goof-up’s, late end of the last term.
The Spaniard is eyeing a number of players to be brought in into the squad to rebuild it for the next season and has his eyes on one of the highly rated strikers in the form of Matt Derbyshire to be brought to the Elland Road club to increase their firepower.
The previous coach of the Cyprus club Apoel Nicosia, is a fan of the forward, who plays for their arch rivals Omnia Nicosia and wants to bring him into the new club he has taken charge of.
The ex-Spain international tried his luck at getting the 31-year old into his last club as well but found it next to impossible to make the deal happen with the rivalry being fierce between the two sides. However, now that he is the coach of Leeds United, and given the fact that Derbyshire was a former under 21 players for the England side, it might be easier for him to work with the striker this time around.
The 31-year-old has been at the top of his form, having scored 25 goals last term and winning the Golden Boot award in the Cypriot League. He is known for his predator’s instinct in front the goal and can make darting runs into the opposition defence. He also has the ability to score goals from long range shots as well as from close range to keep his team in advantageous position. He is also a good ball handler, keeping possession for a significant amount of time in the middle.
Christiansen’s interest in bringing back the Englishman to his home country might be challenged keenly by the Greek side Panathinaikos, who are looking to contest the Elland Road club in order to bag the influential striker for the next season to strengthen their own attack.
However, with his previous experience of playing for clubs like Birmingham, Blackburn and Rotherham United, it is looking like Leeds United might have an upper hand in landing Derbyshire at Elland Road in the next season, with due help from their new manager.
