Leeds United have a major striking problem this season, and it has taken so long for the club to acknowledge this. The depth at that position is poor, and as such, the wide players in the team have had to carry the goalscoring burden.
Joel Piroe has yet to improve on what he did last season, the striker had 16 goals last year, but only has 15 now with four games to go. And he does not like he will beat that tally by much. The depth outside Piroe has also been poor this season – Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph are the only other options up top. Both have three league goals combined.
The numbers are not the only worrying parts, the overall performances have not been up to par.
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Leeds United warned about signing Premier League striker
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Joel Piroe’s performance against Preston was just poor. He had the chance to score at least one goal but fluffed at the chance. The striker now has one league goal in his last 10 games. And with Premier League promotion looming, the club will surely be in the market for an upgrade.
Brighton star Evan Ferguson has been heavily linked with Leeds this week. The striker is currently on loan at West Ham, where he has not been at his best. Ferguson is expected to return to Brighton this summer. Leeds are interested in the 20-year old and could make a move, but former Aston Villa player Lee Hendrie has warned clubs against signing the striker:
“He [Ferguson] hasn’t really got going, he’s had injuries, hasn’t featured much for Brighton, and has gone out on loan.” he said speaking to FLW.
“A £45 million price tag could be a bit of a gamble for a club that’s being promoted into the Premier League, rather than a more established striker who knows where the back of the net is. Yes, he knows where the back of the net is, but there’s always a worry when you’re spending that much money on a player who could get injured. He’s had that injury form of late.”
Evan Ferguson’s injury record
A quick look at Ferguson’s injury record is not great. Since 2022, the striker has missed 225 days of action. He has had an ACL injury within that span.
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The 20-year old has also missed 29 games over the span of three seasons, which is an average of just over nine games per season. £45million is just too much for this kind of availability. Leeds should consider options at that price.
