It is common knowledge that Uwe Rösler has said that Leeds United will come out firing and aiming to press team’s with a high-octane attacking brand of football that is played high up the pitch. It is also commonly known that, aside from Nicky Ajose, that Leeds don’t possess naturally wide players. Rösler himself has said that the team needs more pace and that new signings are needed to add this dimension to the team.
Much has been hypothesised about the ‘supposedly imminent’ arrival of Manchester City youngster, left winger Brandon Barker, an arrival that is looking more remote. Highly-rated he is, but will the Blues be prepared to let him drop to the Championship when there may be opportunities in the lower reaches of the Premier League itself? The Manchester City youngster scored six times for the Manchester City Academy side in last season’s U21 Premier League in 18 appearances (goal per 212 minutes) whilst also marking four goals in seven UEFA Youth League appearances (goal per 129 minutes). On the international stage, he has made five England U19 appearances and scored three goals whilst weighing in with two assists.
There are also rumours floating around that Leeds are interested in a cash-plus-player deal with Sheffield United for their wide man Jamie Murphy. Murphy is just the kind of rapid and skillful player that Leeds United need to be looking at to fill that wing void. He was also a consistent threat in League One last season, scoring 11 goals (goal per 341 minutes) and laying on eight goal assists during the league campaign. Additionally, this part of his game, the ‘goal assists’, is something that was added to in cup games with two goal assists in each of the FA and League Cup campaigns. So, overall, Jamie Murphy had 12 goal assists to his name last season, his eight league goal assists being more than the combined total of goal assists provided by Leeds’ midfield quintet of Alex Mowatt (2), Luke Murphy (2), Charlie Taylor (1), Lewis Cook (1) and Sam Byram (1); five players who combined for a total of only seven goal assists for Leeds United. The proposition is that Leeds offer former-Blades favourite, Billy Sharp, as a makeweight in the deal, cash making it up to Sheffield United’s
So, that’s the two wings sorted, where’s the prayer?
That’s the rumour of Leeds United being interested in signing Nottingham Forest’s 14 goal and 12 goal assist winger. Why a prayer, I can hear that dripping from the lips of many a Leeds fan? Well, it is rumoured that, despite a reputed value of £1.75m, that West Bromwich Albion had a £3.75m bid turned down in January, some are speculating that it would take a bid of £6m to uproot Antonio from Forest and replant him at Elland Road. Leeds, with the purchase of Chris Wood for a reputed fee of £2.75m, are a ‘buying club’…but buying to that degree?
