The club’s attacking options for the Championship season could be revamped…
Leeds United’s 2022/23 season ended in disappointment as they were relegated to the Championship on the final day of the season following a 4-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Whites must now prepare for at least one season in the English second division, and Angus Kinnear and the rest of the board must use the summer transfer window judiciously to assemble a club capable of gaining promotion at the first attempt.
After Patrick Bamford’s troubles this season, one position that needs to be strengthened is center-forward. The English striker finished 22/23 with four goals and two assists in 28 Premier League games, after scoring two in nine in 21/22.
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Kinnear may allow the club’s future manager to finally get rid of the ex-Chelsea man given his poor goal-scoring history in recent years by securing a move for Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres, who is a rumoured €13 million (£11 million) target for the club.
Joe Gelhardt, 21, was thought to be Bamford’s replacement, but he failed to make an impression in the final third during his loan stay at Sunderland in the second half of this season. In 18 appearances, the forward scored three goals and contributed three assists and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.82 in the second tier, ranking as low as 12th in the Black Cats roster.
Gyokeres, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.97 across 46 Championship appearances – joint-6th in a high-flying Coventry side – and plunked an eye-catching 21 goals and ten assists, demonstrating that the dynamo is able to finish and create chances in the Championship at a higher rate than Gelhardt.
The 25-year-old, described as “powerful” by Black Cats manager Tony Mowbray, has established himself as an excellent player at that level, capable of changing and winning games with his talent at the top of the pitch. He can punish the opponent with his lethal finishing and quality on the ball, allowing others to score.
Whereas Bamford and Gelhardt have not demonstrated identical abilities in the previous year or so across the top two tiers, the Sweden international would be a significant upgrade on what Leeds currently has in attack.
As a result, Kinnear may strike gold by sealing a contract to sign Gyokeres, who is a proven, in-form performer in the division that the Whites will be playing in next season, while his arrival would allow the future manager to brutally cut Bamford from the team.
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