Leeds United missed a huge opportunity to close the gap to the automatic promotion places as they were beaten 2-1 by Preston North End on Boxing Day.
The Whites could have been five points behind Ipswich Town in second as the Tractor Boys were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester City later in the day.
Instead, Daniel Farke’s men are eight points adrift of the top two and 14 points behind the Foxes at the top of the Championship table.
The Yorkshire-based outfit were not done any favours by their number one against Preston as Illan Meslier was sent off with the game at 0-0 and the hosts took the lead through Alan Browne four minutes later.
With the January transfer window open for business at the start of next week, Farke could look to land an upgrade on the French liability to improve his squad ahead of the second half of the season as Leeds chase automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Leeds transfer news – Angus Gunn
During the summer transfer window, The Athletic’s Phil Hay claimed, on The Square Ball podcast, that the Whites were keen on Norwich City number one Angus Gunn.
The reporter claimed that the Scotland international was one of a number of shot-stoppers on the club’s list of possible targets to add to their group of options in that position.
That was an interesting revelation at the time as it came two years after Leeds had reportedly attempted to snap him up from then-fellow Premier League side Southampton.
Norwich swooped to sign the colossus from the Saints for a reported fee of £5m and beat off competition from Marcelo Bielsa to secure his services.
The Canaries had just been promoted to the Premier League and Gunn was born in Norwich and came up through their academy system before joining Manchester City at a young age, which made it difficult for the Whites to win the race for his signature on that occasion.
However, the Yellows are currently 12th in the Championship and 11 points behind Farke’s side in the table. Their promotion chances are not looking very likely and this could tempt some of their players to jump ship in January if an attractive offer comes in.
Therefore, Farke must reignite his interest in Gunn, who he signed for Norwich on loan in 2017 and permanently in 2021, and attempt to convince him to ditch his boyhood team to move to Yorkshire ahead of the second half of the campaign.
If the club can secure a deal for the Scottish titan next month then he could arrive as a big upgrade on Meslier, who has struggled between the sticks for Leeds this season.
The statistics that show why Leeds should replace Meslier
The 23-year-old giant made his 150th competitive appearance for the Whites in all competitions on Boxing Day and does not have a lack of experience as an excuse for his mistakes.
He has been the club’s number one for over three seasons but his performances have left plenty to be desired in recent seasons, at Premier League and Championship level.
During the 2021/22 campaign in the top-flight, Meslier conceded a staggering 16.2 more goals than the post-shot xG value of the shots against him suggested the average goalkeeper would have let in.
He ranked within the bottom 10% of Premier League goalkeepers for post-shot xG minus goals allowed per 90 (-0.41) and did not rank above the top 44% for his percentage of crosses stopped (5.3%) or defensive actions outside of the box (1.2) per 90.
The left-footed dud followed that up by 12.4 more goals than expected throughout the 2022/23 campaign as the Whites were relegated to the second division.
These statistics show that the former Lorient prospect was not ready for top-flight football as opposition players found it far too easy to find the back of his net on a regular basis.
Meslier’s league career for Leeds (via FBref) | ||
|---|---|---|
Season | Appearances | Goals conceded |
2019/20 | Ten | Four |
2020/21 | 35 | 52 |
2021/22 | 38 | 79 |
2022/23 | 34 | 67 |
2023/24 | 23 | 22 |
The step down to the Championship has caused him fewer problems to deal with each week but he has still underperformed as a shot-stopper with 1.6 more goals conceded than expected based on the post-shot xG value of the shots on his goal.
He has also been less than impressive as a sweeper behind his back four. Meslier ranks in the bottom 24% for the average distance of his defensive actions (13.3 yards), and the top 47% for defensive actions outside of his penalty area (1.17) per 90.
The statistics that show why Leeds should sign Gunn
The Norwich number one has been in fine form in the Championship since the start of last season and could come in as an upgrade on Farke’s current first-choice.
Gunn was initially behind Tim Krul in the pecking order when he returned for a third stint in Norfolk but earned his spot in the side during the 2022/23 campaign.
In 59 Championship appearances over the last 18 months, the Scotland international has conceded an impressive 8.1 fewer goals than expected based on the post-shot xG value of the efforts on his goal.
Last season, Gunn ranked within the top 1% of goalkeepers within the division for post-shot xG minus goals allowed per 90 (0.27) and this shows that he was one of the best, if not the best, shot-stoppers in the league.
The £40k-per-week star, who Norwich podcaster Jack Reeve hailed as “assured” earlier this season, is also an exceptional sweeper behind his defence.
He ranked within the top 11% of his positional peers for defensive actions outside of his penalty area per 90 (2.03) and the average distance of his defensive actions (18.8 yards) last term.
These statistics suggest that the 27-year-old colossus has the quality to be an immediate upgrade on Meslier, both as a shot-stopper and a sweeper, for Leeds.
He is already proven at Championship level, which indicates that Gunn could hit the ground running during the second half of the campaign, and has worked with Farke previously – making him the dream target to bolster the squad.
