Leeds United boss Thomas Christiansen faces a great dilemma this January. The Whites boss has half a season left to play and will be looking to use this January window to decide if he needs to bolster his front line.
As is always the case with the Whites, Leeds United has had a very interesting season so far. Garry Monk’s departure in the summer had left the club and the fans rather upset. The board took a gamble and brought in Spanish manager Thomas Christiansen to replace Monk.
Amidst all the speculation and scepticism regarding Christiansen’s ability to adapt to English football, the Spaniard quietly went about doing his work and imprinting his style of football on the team. Leeds went on to become a fluid, passing side with a lot of quality in possession.
The other championship sides were left chasing Leeds United’s new style of football and the Whites were equally impressive defensively keeping multiple clean sheets. However, within months, Leeds’ shortcomings were exposed and resultantly exploited as their slump began.
Questions were asked of the manager and countless solutions started flying into Elland Road free of cost. Christiansen maintained his belief in his system and managed to recover from their drop in form under him. Leeds were back in the play-off position but their joy lasted only for a brief while.
Christiansen’s side is now winless in January and their latest disastrous run of 4 defeats in 5 games has left them reeling at the 10th place in the Championships table and out of the FA Cup. Serious reinforcements are needed if the club is serious about grabbing a playoff spot come May 2018.
Although they have furthered their cause within three weeks of the January window by wrapping up important deals for players like Laurens De Bock, Yosuke Ideguchi and Aapo Halme, they should now be looking to add further firepower up front by bringing in Nelson Oliveira of Norwich City. With Caleb Ekuban facing time on the sidelines, Samuel Sáiz suffering from some serious disciplinary issues and Pierre-Michel Lasogga unable to fire on all cylinders, the bulk of the scoring responsibility has fallen on Kemar Roofe and Christiansen could do with another option up front.
Oliveira has scored 7 goals in 25 matches for Norwich and is the main man for the Canaries. He is a proven goal scorer in the Championship and with Leeds unlikely to find many other solutions in this short transfer window, Oliveira could prove to be the man they need.
Moreover, the Portuguese’s style of play will allow Christiansen to switch his team’s style in case of an emergency. Oliveira is more than capable of holding up the ball for his team and should Leeds United need a frontman who can bring in his midfielders into the game without having to leave the final third, the 26-year -old would prove to be the perfect fit. Although it is unlikely that either Oliveira or Norwich would want to go through with the deal given the fact that he is a regular starter at his current club; a role he will not be guaranteed at Elland Road.
