Leeds United have struggled to score goals. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has provided a physical outlet to the team at the top, but he has not been clinical enough in front of goal. He should have scored more than the one goal he has netted in the Premier League this season.
Daniel Farke is aware that the club are short in the final third, and the Leeds manager is expected to push for attacking signings in the January transfer window.
Leeds have plans in place to bring in an attacking midfielder and a winger. They also need a striker, but they may be short of funds to bring in the goalscorer they truly need in the latter half of the season.
However, the Whites may miss out on a huge opportunity if they do not get into the transfer mix for ex-Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who is angling for a return to England in the winter transfer window.
Ivan Toney wants a Premier League return, and Leeds United must act
Toney left Brentford to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli last year. He has been prolific in Saudi Arabia, scoring 39 times in 56 appearances for the club.
However, the 29-year-old striker wants to return to the Premier League in January as he wants to push for a place in England’s World Cup squad next year.
Thomas Tuchel is unlikely to pick him if Toney continues in Saudi Arabia, but a good second half of the season in the Premier League could find him a place in the Three Lions squad for the World Cup.
West Ham are among the Premier League clubs that are interested in securing a deal to sign the forward in the January transfer window.
However, Leeds should also get involved as they need a real game-changer up front, and Toney’s goals could be the difference between survival and relegation.
It may be a financially difficult deal to pull off, but Leeds must at least try to check whether the former Brentford striker would be interested in a move to Elland Road.
Toney will be a game-changer if Leeds sign him
Toney was one of the best strikers in the Premier League. However, a gambling ban disrupted his career, and he was not as great in his last season at Brentford.
However, in the 2022/23 season, he scored 20 goals in 33 Premier League appearances and probably would have moved on had he not been banned for gambling.
He has continued to bang in the goals for Al-Ahli and has not lost his goalscoring touch since leaving Brentford and the Premier League.
He has four goals in five appearances this season, and several Premier League clubs are likely to be in the queue for him in the winter transfer window.
Leeds are desperate for a clinical striker in Toney, who would finish off the chances inside the penalty box, which Calvert-Lewin has failed ot do this season.
Toney also has the physicality to lead the Leeds line, and the Whites’ attack will look far more potent if the former Brentford forward plays as the number 9.
Financially, the deal could be complicated, but Leeds may still push for a loan move, with Al-Ahli covering the lion’s share of his hefty salary during the stint.
Toney would have to agree to a pay cut, or the Saudi side would have to subsidise his wages, as no Premier League side would agree to meet his salary demands.
A loan move to sign the striker in January would be beneficial to everyone, as Leeds could get a proven Premier League goalscorer while Toney finds a way to prove his mettle to Tuchel ahead of the World Cup.
Can you name the team Leeds United signed these players from in the 2000s?
He’d be perfect but so many other clubs would want him I doubt he would come.