The January transfer window is just around the corner and it will be interesting to see whether or not Leeds United do any business next month.
German head coach Daniel Farke is tasked with leading the Whites back to the Premier League at the first time of asking after their relegation from the top-flight under Sam Allardyce earlier this year.
His team are currently third in the Championship and seven points off the automatic promotion places as it stands, which shows that they are competing for a top two spot but still have some way to go before they can believe that it is a realistic goal.
Therefore, the ex-Norwich City and Borussia Monchengladbach tactician may want to dip into the market to bolster his side to give them a better chance of closing that gap to move ahead of Ipswich Town and Leicester City.
Angus Kinnear has confirmed that there is wiggle room for the club to make further additions to the playing squad if the manager feels the need is there to do so.
This comes after Farke was allowed to bring in nine new signings during his first window in charge; including Sam Byram, Ethan Ampadu, Karl Darlow, Ilia Gruev, Joel Piroe, Djed Spence, Jaidon Anthony, Joe Rodon and Glen Kamara.
Leeds transfer news – David Turnbull
Ahead of the January transfer window, the Whites have been named as a possible landing spot for Celtic attacking midfielder David Turnbull.
Speaking on Go Radio this month (via HITC), pundit and former Hoops centre-forward John Hartson has claimed that he could see the Scotland international moving to a ‘top’ Championship club “like a Leeds United”.
The 24-year-old whiz is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and this means that the Whites could swoop in to secure a pre-contract deal ahead of next summer or look to snap him up for a cut-price deal in January.
However, any such plans would be ruined if the Scottish giants decide to agree a contract extension with the talented wizard between now and the turn of the year.
Whilst it may seem to be a random comment for Hartson to make, as Leeds have not been linked with any real interest in Turnbull, it would make some sense when you consider that Farke was once close to signing him during his time at Norwich.
In the summer of 2019, the German head coach attempted to sign the young talent from Motherwell and the Canaries had a bid of £3.25m accepted by the Premiership side.
However, he turned down the move to Carrow Road and opted to complete a transfer to Celtic instead. It was reported that the player turned down higher wages in England to join the Hoops due to footballing reasons.
Norwich had been promoted to the Premier League ahead of that summer and Turnbull would have been fighting against relegation instead of competing for trophies, which is what he has been doing over the last few years in Glasgow.
This suggests that Farke is, or at least was, a big fan of the player and he must now reignite that interest to secure a deal for him in January as the impressive ace could be a lethal partner for Georgino Rutter.
Rutter’s season in numbers
The current Leeds star has been in phenomenal form in the Championship so far this season as a centre-forward who can link play brilliantly to create huge opportunities for his fellow forwards on a regular basis.
Farke has managed to get the best out of the French dynamo, who joined from Hoffenheim in January of this year, after his struggles under the previous managers in the Premier League last term.
Statistic | Rutter in 22/23 Premier League (via Sofascore) |
|---|---|
Appearances | 11 |
Sofascore rating | 6.53 |
Goals | Zero |
Assists | One |
Big chances created | Zero |
Dribble success rate | 41% |
Rutter has racked up an eye-catching four goals, seven assists, and 16 ‘big chances’ created in 17 league starts for the Whites so far this season.
He currently ranks within the top 1% of Championship forwards for Expected Assisted Goals (0.45), assists (0.43, and shot-creating actions (4.59) per 90 this term.
This shows that he has been an outstanding creator within the division as the 21-year-old star has consistently split open opposition defences to create chances for his teammates to score from.
His sublime creativity could make him a lethal partner for Turnbull at the top end of the pitch as the Celtic gem could be an excellent alternative number ten option to Joel Piroe.
The statistics that show why Leeds should sign Turnbull
The 24-year-old number ten is a goalscoring midfielder who also has the quality to create chances at an impressive rate, which makes him a different type of player to the club’s current star in that role.
Piroe has managed eight goals in 19 Championship starts this season, although three of those appearances came at Swansea, but he has only created one ‘big chance’ for his fellow forwards.
He is a natural centre-forward who has been deployed in a deeper role and has not offered much in the way of creativity, whereas Turnbull is more of a traditional attacking midfielder.
That is not to say one is better than the other but variety can provide opposition teams with different problems to deal with, which is why the Hoops gem could be an excellent signing to add competition and quality to the squad.
Turnbull has scored seven goals and created four ‘big chances’ for Celtic in eight Scottish Premiership starts and 12 league appearances in total this season.
The £16k-per-week magician produced ten goals and 12 ‘big chances’ created in 26 league starts over the previous two top-flight campaigns combined.
He averaged between 2.9 and 3.2 key passes per game across the 2020/21 and 2021/22 league seasons for Celtic, and Crysencio Summerville (three) is the only Leeds player with more than 2.3 per match this term in the Championship.
Turnbull, who was hailed as “excellent” by boss Brendan Rodgers earlier this season, has the goal record to suggest that he has the quality to finish off the chances that Rutter can create, and the creative attributes to break down opposition defences to set-up the club’s other forwards.
Therefore, the pairing could be a lethal one for Leeds as they both have the ability to be outstanding creators who can also chip in with goals to punish teams in the final third.
