Leeds United have been linked with several forwards ahead of the winter window and we have argued that they do not actually need a number 9. However, Leeds are considering adding to their attack and Stockport’s Louie Barry is one of the players the club are believed to be tracking ahead of January.
The 21-year-old is not a number 9 despite his scoring record in League One this season. He has started most of the games on the left flank and has featured a few times as a withdrawn striker.
Barry has been in brilliant goalscoring form this season, netting 14 times in 19 League One appearances and is now being tipped to move up the ladder in the upcoming transfer windows.
Leeds are amongst the clubs who have their eyes on the young forward and there are suggestions that the Whites could try to land the forward in the winter window.
Barry is the kind of all-round forward Daniel Farke admires and despite his goals coming in League One, there is enough to suggest that he could take his game to the next level in the Championship or above.
Louie Barry has the attributes to replicate his game at a higher level
The key thing to note is that Barry is not a striker. He is a modern wide forward who can also play as a withdrawn striker but is more comfortable out wide.
The 21-year-old is the top scorer in League One and the most potent attacker at Stockport who are fighting for promotion to the Championship.
Barry is an excellent finisher and is outperforming his xG (expected goals) by close to five goals at the moment. He has netted 14 times in the league but his xG is still 9.88.
It is natural to ask where this can be sustainable but for the moment, the 21-year-old has been doing more than well when it comes to finishing off the chances that fall on his lap.
He has also attempted 61 shots, which is more than three shots per game in League One. The forward also completes more than half of attempted dribbles.
Barry is a risk taker on the ball and completes 1.1 key passes per game. However, it also leads to losing the ball sometimes and getting dispossessed 1.4 times on average.
The attacker is also not great on aerial duels and is still not strong enough to hold on to the ball. However, Barry’s trickery, pace and ability to find the back of the net regularly with accuracy make him an attractive proposition for Leeds.
What will he add to the Leeds United attack?
Leeds are the top scorers in the Championship this season but they do not have a natural goal scorer in their squad. Joel Piroe is their top scorer this season with seven but Leeds have looked good because the rest of the squad have chipped in key contributions.
Mateo Joseph is still finding his feet as a striker and Daniel Farke has shown little faith in Patrick Bamford or Joe Gelhardt. If not anything, Barry will become one more attacking option for the Leeds boss if he moves to Elland Road in the January transfer window.
His ability to play both out wide or centrally will allow Farke to make changes to his attack and keep things fresh in the latter half of the season.
The attacker can be one more option in the wide areas or be someone the Leeds boss can use down the middle other than Piroe and Joseph.
At 21, Barry still has some development to undergo but the goal-scoring ability he has shown in League One should encourage Leeds to try and get their hands on him in the winter transfer window.
