Leeds United are in hot pursuit of the automatic promotion places after their 3-1 victory over Swansea City extended their unbeaten run to nine matches.
Having moved to within seven points of second place Ipswich Town, the Whites are beginning to dream of a return to the Premier League and a continuation of their excellent form over the Christmas period can see them mount a serious promotion challenge.
The Yorkshire side have been near faultless under Daniel Farke in recent months, but there are still some issues that need ironing out in the January window, including the future of Wilfried Gnonto.
It has been known since the summer – when he handed in a written transfer request – that the Italian wanted to depart Elland Road and if a prospective buyer triggers his price tag of £25m, he could be granted his wish.
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The Whites are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the £33k-p/w forward.
If the 20-year-old does leave the club, he needs to be replaced and a report from Football Insider states that Leeds are in pursuit of two loan players.
Whilst no names have been touted, the Whites will strike gold if Amad Diallo turns out to be one of the players they are chasing – with the former Atalanta man having been a reported target over the summer for those at Elland Road.
Amad Diallo’s statistics at Sunderland last season
After being captured on loan from Manchester United, Diallo spearheaded the Black Cats charge towards the play-offs and was instrumental down the right flank.
The fleet-footed winger, who recorded an impressive 14 goals and three assists last season, used his temporary spell in the North East to showcase his talents that have since been hampered by the long-term injury he sustained in pre-season.
This unfortunately prevented him from being loaned out elsewhere in the summer, however, a return to action in January could see him unleash his box of tricks once more; either sporadically at Old Trafford or on a regular basis in the Championship.
If he is made available for loan – as demonstrated by his scintillating form last term – Farke should throw the kitchen at landing the €15m (£13m-rated) diamond to replace Gnonto, who has only scored once in 12 matches this term, while challenging Dan James for a spot on the right flank.
How Amad Diallo compares to Dan James
James has widely been criticised for his wastefulness in the final third, but since dropping down to the Championship, the Welshman has silenced the critics by scoring five goals and supplying four assists in 16 appearances this term.
With a goal conversion of 12% and three big chances missed, James is still prone to skewing gilt-edged opportunities wide of the target, however, more chances fall at the feet of the attacker than they usually would in the Premier League.
Much like Diallo, who was hailed as “incredible” by Luke O’Nien, it’s the searing pace and clever movement that gets the Leeds star into the position to score in the first place with most defenders in the division struggling to keep up with him.
That said, when comparing Diallo’s statistics last term to the numbers James is serving up in this campaign, the 21-year-old is markedly better across various attacking metrics.
Amad Diallo’s vs Dan James’ per 90 attacking metrics | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics | Amad Diallo (2022/23) | Dan James (2023/24) |
Goals | 0.45 | 0.41 |
Shot-creating actions | 4.14 | 4.05 |
Progressive passes | 5.12 | 3.65 |
Successful take-ons | 2.16 | 1.05 |
Touches (Att pen) | 4.45 | 5.18 |
Passes into final third | 3.90 | 2.43 |
All stats via FBref | ||
Across the above statistics, James only beats Diallo for touches into the attacking penalty box and that is largely down to Leeds dominating teams more than Sunderland did last term, rather than the Englishman’s willingness to break the lines and get into the box.
There is no doubt that Farke’s pacey wideman is having a fabulous campaign so far, but there are fine margins between finishing in the play-offs and creeping into the top two, with the signing of further quality in the final third, such as Diallo, capable of making all the difference come the end of the season.
