The Whites saw their summer blunder exposed yesterday in “prolific” fashion.
- Leeds could have signed a prolific £18m striker this summer.
- The player moved to a Premier League club instead and happened to score.
- His performance was a great distance ahead of Georginio Rutter’s.
Leeds United comfortably endured one of the most tumultuous summers of those within the Championship, but have come out the other side with a squad certainly capable of challenging at the top of the table…
Who did Leeds nearly sign?
Daniel Farke operated well despite all the turmoil he had inherited, as whilst he made nine key additions, these signings were marred by the 15 departures, many of which had previously been first-team regulars.
Phil Hay put it best on social media when he wrote: “At one point in the summer, a senior figure at Leeds was heard to say that “everyone wants to leave” – which was pretty much how it was.”
So, to be stood in early September with a team largely filled with quality that has featured at a level above their current one should mark a success worth championing, even if they have only won once in their opening five league games.
However, Saturday did mark a crushing realisation that they probably did miss a trick with one failed signing, as they did reportedly hold an interest in former Aston Villa forward Cameron Archer at various points throughout the summer without acting.
Therefore, it was Sheffield United who eventually won the race for his signature, with his showing against Everton enough to start paying back that lofty £18m price tag.
How good is Cameron Archer?
Whilst many were well aware of the 21-year-old’s goalscoring pedigree well before this weekend, his consistent quality and the threat he posed to the Toffees showcased his talents at a much higher level than he had previously thrived in.
Having fallen behind, the Blades hit back as Archer’s arrowed finish on 33 minutes drew them level. Then, as they pushed for another, he unleashed a splendid curling effort which rebounded off the right post, struck Jordan Pickford and found the back of the net. Although not his goal, it was wholly of his creation.
His involvement in both of their only goals for the day outlined the budding importance he is set to enjoy at Bramall Lane, as he seeks to build on an outstanding loan spell last season where he scored 11 and assisted six in 20 Championship games for Middlesbrough.
It is no surprise that renowned scout Jacek Kulig lauded him as “incredibly prolific” throughout that spell, a trait that Farke would love to transfer onto his current crop of players.
What makes his particularly impressive display even more frustrating is the profligate one endured at Elland Road just after Sheffield United were held to a 2-2 draw, as the Whites failed to find the net against newly-promoted Sheffield Wednesday at home.
Deploying Joel Piroe in a deeper role, despite having been signed as their new star forward, he was not there to score the countless chances they forged. In fact, having enjoyed 67% of the ball and rained down 16 shots, they missed all of the three big chances they created, via Sofascore.
Considering two of those were squandered by Georginio Rutter, who has admittedly struggled since making his club-record move in January, it seems that the Englishman would have marked far greater business.
The French youngster has scored just once across 18 games for the club, and yesterday posted a 6.5 Sofascore rating that was the worst of any of Leeds’ starters.
Their failure to capture such a lethal finisher like Archer was exposed brutally yesterday, as he thrived in front of goal whilst Farke’s side pushed to break the deadlock in their game, with no success.
Leave a Reply