Leeds United promotion-winner agrees with Daniel Farke transfer wish as January priority outlined
Leeds United were known to be interested in strengthening this particular area.
Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson insists recruitment chiefs should have brought in a No.10 this summer, with a current lack of composure proving problematic against stern defences.
Leeds have enjoyed a decent start to the season with Saturday’s 2-0 win at 10-man Cardiff City their third in six games, but scintillating performances have been hard to come by. Not until the 87th-minute was there breathing space in south Wales as Daniel Farke’s side struggled to fully turn the screw against the rock-bottom Bluebirds.
Farke would so often have looked to Georginio Rutter in such moments last season and while Brenden Aaronson’s return to West Yorkshire is proving an early success, Leeds are lacking the kind of creative spark their £40million summer exit provided. Grayson called for the addition of a No.10 while the summer window was still open and has reiterated his stance, criticising a lack of composure in the current group.
“Before the transfer window closed I said Leeds needed a creative No.10 to pull the strings in midfield," Grayson told the Football League Paper. "I still think that’s the case, if only to add competition for places, but there’s more than enough quality in that team to win promotion.
“What they really need is a bit of composure and ruthlessness in that final third. Time and again you see them dominate pressure and chances, but it’s like they’re always trying to score the perfect goal. They’ve not scored from outside the box for a long time. They’ve not scored off a set-piece for months and months. You don’t always have to walk the ball into the net.”
Farke’s summer wish echoed
From the moment Brighton and Hove Albion triggered Georginio’s £40m release clause on August 14, transfer talk around Elland Road was centred around a new creative outlet. There was known interest in the likes of Gustavo Hamer and Roland Sallai, while Angus Kinnear recently named Emi Buendia, James McAtee and Fabio Carvalho as targets the club explored.
Leeds have better options than most in that part of the pitch, with Aaronson impressing upon his return from Union Berlin while Joel Piroe has proven to be effective in killing games from the bench. Farke also has bags of creativity out wide but made no secret of his desire to land a more natural creator-in-chief as the summer window shut.
"Yes, it's always easier when you are capable to bring a player in with multi million pounds money, in order to have proven quality, who is proven to score goals and assists on this level, and especially once the opponent is seeking deeper and parks the bus, you need also these creative players," he said at the end of last month. "It's never easy when you perhaps don't have this traditional number 10. But yeah, we decided as a club to go this way.
“If you don't have it, then you need to work with other tools. That's what we're trying to do. Yeah, of course, in the ideal dream world, would have had also this player right now available, but if we don't have them, then it's not about to complain. It's more like, okay, come on, then we work with what we've got. And I'm excited to work with this exciting young group."