Leeds United continued their impressive start to life back in the Championship this season with a 4-1 victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
The Whites find themselves third in the table and amongst the group of clubs vying for promotion up to the Premier League, following on from their relegation earlier this year.
Daniel Farke was brought in to lead the club back to glory and his team have scored an impressive 24 goals in the opening 14 matches of the season, helped by Saturday’s four-goal haul.
Club | Championship goals in 23/24 (via Sky Sports) |
|---|---|
Ipswich Town | 29 |
Leicester City | 29 |
Norwich City | 25 |
Leeds United | 24 |
Sunderland | 24 |
The German tactician, who previously managed in England with Norwich City, was able to bolster his attacking options during the summer transfer window with the signings of Joel Piroe and Jaidon Anthony.
However, only one of them has been able to make a consistent impact at the top end of the pitch for the Yorkshire-based outfit, and that has been the Dutch marksman.
Piroe has racked up five goals and one assist in 11 Championship starts since his switch from Welsh side Swansea. Only Crysencio Summerville has scored more league goals (six) for the club this term, which highlights the quality that the left-footed whiz has provided.
Whereas, Anthony has struggled to prove his worth at Elland Road and Farke could land an instant upgrade on him by securing a deal to sign Amad Diallo in January.
Amad Diallo’s transfer availability
The Whites were reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Ivory Coast international on loan during the summer transfer window after his impressive exploits for Sunderland throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
However, a pre-season injury whilst playing for Manchester United put an end to any possible move – to any club – for the talented magician, which meant that Leeds were not able to take their interest any further.
TEAMtalk reported earlier this month that the Red Devils are now prepared to send him out on loan for the second half of this season upon his return to fitness.
Erik ten Hag is willing to sanction a temporary exit, seemingly as he does not have immediate first-team plans for the Ivorian ace, and Farke should reignite his interest in Amad to secure a deal for his services in January.
However, Sunderland are also said to be in the race to land his signature for a second time and this means that the club could face some stern competition for the former Rangers loanee.
Whites chief Angus Kinnear recently revealed that the club have left some loan spots vacant in order to leave room for possible January signings, which opens the door to a potential swoop to land the ex-Sunderland star.
The stats that show why Amad would be a good signing for Leeds
Amad’s performances for the Black Cats throughout the 2022/23 season suggest that the young talent has the quality and maturity in his game to step in and hit the ground running in Yorkshire.
The left-footed wizard is no stranger to the rough and tumble of the Championship as he made a substantial 39 appearances at that level on loan on Wearside last term. This means that the club would be bringing in a player who already knows exactly what it takes to perform in this league.
This could be a better way to go than bringing in someone who has not experienced English or Championship football and expecting them to be able to make an instant impact without a pre-season under their belt as Leeds aim to win promotion back to the Premier League.
Amad has proven that he has the ability to contribute with goals and progressive play on a regular basis as he ended last season as Sunderland’s top goalscorer with 14 league strikes – four more than any of his teammates produced – despite playing in an attacking midfield position.
He only registered three assists for the Black Cats but that total was not a fair reflection of the creative impact he made on the pitch. The United loanee ranked within the top 8% of his positional Championship peers for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.14), which shows that he consistently created opportunities for himself and others to take aim at goal.
Alongside that, the dynamic gem ranked within the top 6% for progressive passes (5.12) and the top 15% for progressive carries (3.72) per 90. This shows that he was among the best in his position at progressing the ball up the pitch to make things happen, by both utilising his passing and dribbling skills.
Whereas, Anthony has struggled to make a consistent impact in the final third for Leeds since joining on loan from Premier League side Bournemouth ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Jaidon Anthony’s statistics this season
The 23-year-old forward, who – like Amad – predominantly operates in the attacking midfield or wide positions, has failed to break into the starting XI on a regular basis.
He has featured in nine Championship matches for the Whites this term but only two of his outings have come as a starter under Farke so far. In those games, Anthony has contributed with one goal and zero assists, along with zero ‘big chances’ created, as he has been unable to punish opposition teams with regularity.
The Cherries loanee has created 0.3 chances and completed 0.8 dribbles per game for Leeds. Whereas, Amad managed one key pass and 1.8 dribbles per match for Sunderland last season.
Anthony, who scored eight goals in 45 Championship games for Bournemouth during the 2021/22 campaign, has not proven himself to offer an outstanding goal threat, for his parent club or Leeds, in comparison to the Red Devils prodigy.
Amad’s form for Sunderland was significantly more impressive than what the English whiz has shown in a Whites shirt so far this season, both in terms of his ability to score goals and create for his teammates on a consistent basis.
Therefore, Farke could land a big upgrade on his current loanee by securing a deal to sign the 5 foot 8 ace, who was dubbed a “joy to watch” by journalist Josh Bunting, for the second half of the campaign ahead of the Black Cats and any other interested parties come the turn of the year.
