£21m Leeds United transfer target lacks one thing Daniel Farke needs as 'initial bid planned' - opinion

If Leeds United are to survive in the Premier League next summer, they will have to get virtually every major decision right and that starts with recruitment this summer.

Leeds secured their place back at the top table last month, winning four on the bounce while Sheffield United fell to three straight defeats before another decisive loss at Burnley. Four straight wins became five and then six last weekend, with a 2-1 comeback victory at Plymouth Argyle enough to ensure 150,000-plus fans at Monday’s open-top bus parade got to see the Championship winners’ trophy in all its glory.

Daniel Farke undoubtedly had one of the strongest squads in Championship history this season and one worthy of promotion, the title and 100 points. But it is a squad that needs pretty significant work going into a top-flight that is increasingly difficult for such teams to survive in - see Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton 2024/25.

Key to survival will be getting summer business right and so it’s little surprise to see reports emerging of interest across multiple positions, with an obvious priority being upfront. Patrick Bamford will turn 32 in September and has missed large chunks of his Whites career through injury, while neither Joel Piroe nor Mateo Joseph boast Premier League experience.

That Premier League experience will be key for such a crucial position and so reports of interest in AZ Alkmaar’s Troy Parrott are a little surprising. The 23-year-old was first named as a possible target by TEAMtalk and this week, Dutch outlet Voetbal Primeur suggest he is ‘high on the list’ of Elland Road recruitment chiefs.

Troy Parrott transfer latest as report claims Leeds United plan ‘initial bid’

The report claims Parrott is being ‘hotly debated’ at Leeds, with an ‘initial bid’ planned for Alkmaar, who could be convinced to cash in if an offer worth between €20-25million (roughly £17-£21m) is lodged. That would present a profit of up to £14m on the striker, who has impressed in the Netherlands with 20 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions since joining from Tottenham Hotspur last summer.

There is little doubting Parrott’s potential as a No.9, and he was long touted as Spurs’ next big academy graduate, but despite a couple of first-team appearances he never got the breakthrough many had hoped for in North London. Instead, a string of loans at the likes of Millwall, Ipswich Town, and Preston North End failed to get the ball rolling on his goalscoring career.

Goals have certainly come at Alkmaar but the one thing Parrott lacks is arguably one of the most important things Leeds need in a new striker: Premier League experience. The former Spurs prospect has been fairly prolific against opposition of lower quality but so has Farke’s current starting No.9 Piroe, while if it’s potential the Leeds boss wants to work with, he has it in spades with Joseph.

Multiple reports surrounding Leeds’ summer plans suggest Farke is keen to add experience, with The Sun claiming he wants ‘established Prem stars’ while The i outlined a desire to bring in ‘battle-hardened players’. The German has since been backed by chairman Paraag Marathe, who outlined the ‘collaborative’ approach to summer business in an interview with local press last week.

There is every chance Parrott’s goalscoring exploits would translate into the Premier League and in 12 month’s time, a move for the 23-year-old could prove great business. But Leeds will not have infinite funds to spend this summer and their recruitment at No.9 will go a long way to deciding their fate, and so as safe a bet as possible might be preferable at this point in time.

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