Leeds United are fighting for promotion in Premier League this season after just losing at the final hurdle at the end Daniel Farkefirst year in the club.
The Whites lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley, one step away from League One, after missing out on automatic promotion by finishing in the top two.
They are currently on the way to righting that injustice because they are in first place in Priority table after 26 games played, one point ahead of Sheffield United and Burnley.
The West Yorkshire side could have gone three points clear at the top of the table had they avoided losing their two-goal lead away to Hull this weekend.
Despite Leeds’ strong position at the moment, Farke could use the January transfer window, which officially opened last week, to strengthen his squad.
The German head coach is reportedly looking to add another striker to the squad and has his eye on a player from one of the club’s Championship rivals.
Leeds United are eyeing a Championship star
According to LeedsUnitedNewsThe Whites are interested in signing Middlesbrough centre-forward Emmanuel Latte Latha in the January window.
The report claims Leeds are considering an offer to tempt the striker from Michael Carrick’s side ahead of the second half of the season as they look to add another number nine to their squad.
Latte Lath is said to be a player the club like and are now weighing up a bid for, although there is no mention of how much they would be willing to spend on the striker.
The outlet adds that Premier League sides West Ham United, Leicester City and Ipswich Town are also interested in signing the 26-year-old striker, showing there is plenty of competition for his services this month.
Meanwhile, Football Insider claims Middlesbrough did seeking compensation of £15m to part ways with the Ivory Coast international, amid strong interest from elsewhere to poach him from Teeside.
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It now remains to be seen whether any of the Premier League clubs or Leeds will be willing to meet their demands to pay £15m for the Boro sensation before the end of the January transfer window.
If the 49ers agree a deal to bring Latte Lath to Elland Road before the second half of the season, the 26-year-old star will have to compete with the forwards Farke already has at his disposal.
The Leeds United striker’s form this season
The Whites already have three recognized centre-forward options in the current first-team squad, with Joel Piroe, Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford on the books.
They contributed with 12 goals and eight assists between them in the Championship so far this season, with most of them coming from Piroe – Farke’s first-choice number nine.
The Dutch forward was incredibly clinical in front of the West Yorkshire team’s goal with a return from ten goals of 7.52 xG in the second tier, which shows that he more than used the chances created for him by his teammates.
|
24/25 championship |
Joel Piroe |
Patrick Bamford |
Mateo Josip |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
26 |
10 |
26 |
|
xG |
7.52 |
1.91 |
4.86 |
|
Objectives |
10 |
0 |
2 |
|
Assists |
5 |
0 |
3 |
As you can see in the table above, Bamford and Joseph haven’t had as much luck in front of goal with the high-quality chances that have come their way in the Championship – with two goals from almost eight expected goals.
This statistic suggests that Leeds could be in trouble if Piroe suffers an injury, as the other two strikers in the squad have been unreliable in the final third this season.
However, the signing of Latta Lath could provide Farke with an even bigger talent than Piroe, rather than just coming in as a back-up for the Dutch forward in January.
Why Leeds should sign Latte Lath
The Middlesbrough striker has proven himself to be a lethal attacker at Championship level since joining Teeside from Atalanta in
summer 2023
He produced an eye-catching comeback created ten goals and three ‘big opportunities’ in 17 starts in the second tier so far this term, meaning the Boro star has found the net as many times as Piroe has in the Leeds squad.
This shows that the £15m-rated marksman can offer a similar goalscoring threat to the Dutchman, but can also provide a superior presence on the pitch. Latte Lath won 43% of his duelswinning 3.6 per game, while Piroe lost 75% of his battles and only won a 1.2 per release.
This suggests that the Ivory Coast forward may be a better option in tough away games to hold the ball when the team is under pressure, as he is better at one-on-one with defenders, and this may have been useful in the 3-3 draw away at Hull when Leeds lost a two-goal advantage.
|
Championship 23/24 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
It starts |
31 |
23 |
|
xG |
12.74 |
11.62 |
|
Objectives |
13 |
16 |
|
xG differential |
+0.26 |
+4.38 |
|
Great chances were created |
3 |
3 |
|
Statistics via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, Latte Lath also surpassed Piroe at the top of the pitch with his performances for Middlesbrough in the 2023/24 Championship campaign.
The clinical Boro star has scored 26 Championship goals since the start of last season, compared to Piroe’s 23, and started eight fewer games than the Dutch forward last season, suggesting there is potential to offer Leeds a bigger target. a threat in the role of number nine.
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Therefore, Farke could sign an even better player than their current striker as Latte Lath has the technical and physical qualities to be an outstanding centre-forward who will drive the club to promotion this year.
