The January transfer window is fast approaching, and Leeds United will be in the market to bolster Daniel Farke’s attacking options. Not necessarily a striker, but certainly an attacking player.
A month ago, maybe six weeks ago, fans were pleading with the club to sign a new striker in January. Dominic Calvert-Lewin had still only scored one goal, and Lukas Nmecha was still being rotated by Farke.
Joel Piroe wasn’t getting a sniff. Ireland hero Troy Parrott was linked with Leeds, but a move for Milan’s Santiago Gimenez is now over, with the Mexico star set to undergo surgery on a recent ankle problem.
Would you take Joshua Zirkzee at Leeds? ⭐
Even if he's currently at Man United?
But the recent form of Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha has lessened the need for a striker. But what Leeds do lack is that kind of player able to create magic. It is why Fulham’s Harry Wilson was targeted in August.
Leeds need a no.10, or a striker that drops into midfield to play alongside Calvert-Lewin. Man United’s Joshua Zirkzee is that kind of player, even if it hasn’t happened for the Netherlands star at Old Trafford.
Robert Lewandowski’s praise of new Leeds target Joshua Zirkzee
Signed from Bologna for £36.5m, there was huge hype around Zirkzee. He was the big fish and biggish pond at Bologna under Thiago Motta, often wearing the armband despite being a younger player.
But at Man United, it hasn’t worked out. That is not to say Zirkzee isn’t a good player, and Leeds have made a move to land Zirkzee in January. Italian reports say Leeds and West Ham have made enquiries.
Roma are expected to get him, even if Ruben Amorim has tiptoed around a definitive statement on Zirkzee’s future. A player who came through at Bayern Munich while Robert Lewandowski was at his best.
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Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast in 2024, Lewandowski said about Zirkzee: “He plays amazing with the back to the goal, you know, he can hold the ball, he can play with the one touches or two touches.
“Also, good finishing in the box because he’s big, you know, he’s young, but he’s big, and I think he can keep the ball, hold the ball. Very, very strong. He’s the player who can help teammates to create space.”
Which other strikers have Leeds been linked with so far?
It is the second time in the past week or so that a proper source has confirmed Leeds have made a move to sign a player. Before Zirkzee, Fabrizio Romano said Leeds had approached Como for Martin Baturina.
Plenty of strikers have been linked with Leeds even after the end of the summer window. Midtjylland’s Franculino is a striker on the list of many clubs, while Coventry City’s Haji Wright could be tempted to go.
Whether Leeds need a big physical striker, similar to Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha, is up for debate. But surely, Farke would be better advised to sign a creative striker to go alongside either of those two.
Zirkzee is that type of player. If Leeds could convince him to join, with the World Cup only six months away and promise him Premier League game time, then it might be a move that suits all parties.
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