For the first time since completing his £22.5 million switch from Middlesbrough to Atlanta, former Leeds United Emmanuel Latte Lath target opened up on the decisions which took him from the North East to North America.
The Ivory Coast international became the most expensive signing in Major League Soccer history this winter.
Leeds were initially hopeful of luring the Middlesbrough hitman to Elland Road at the beginning of 2025. Once it became clear exactly how much the nouveau-riche Atlanta United were willing to pay, however, the Championship table-toppers wasted little time in shifting their attention to alternative targets.
According to reports, Leeds never played a bid for Emmanuel Latte Lath though their interest was ‘genuine’.
Leeds United, instead, ended the window pursuing loan deals for Southampton duo Cameron Archer and Adam Armstrong. A more accurate reflection of where Daniel Farke’s side is at financially, as long as they remain a Championship outfit.
Former Leeds United target Emmanuel Latte Lath explains MLS switch
Latte Lath was also linked with a number of Premier League outfits, including Leicester City, West Ham and Wolves.
The well-travelled centre-forward held his first press conference as an Atlanta United player this week, and used it to clear up the confusion surrounding his decision to leave England for a league many this side of the Atlantic tend to scoff at.
With all due respect to West Ham, Wolves and a Leicester side expected to make an immediate return to the second-tier, silverware is not really in their sights.
Latte Lath’s priority is not the prestige of the Premier League but securing winner’s medals. And he obviously feels that a move to the Mercedes Benz Stadium gives him the best chance of doing just that.
An ambitious Atlanta United outfit are speculating in the hope of accumulating, also investing hefty sums in former Newcastle winger Miguel Almiron and Atalanta playmaker Aleksey Miranchuk.
“To be fair, in the MLS, I’ve never watched anything!” Latte Lath admits. “Just they started to talk with me – the president, the sporting director – they showed me the project, and it was really easy to come here.
“I want to win something. I was just thinking of my future. I came here because I want to try to win something in Atlanta and also I like the project that they told me [about].”
Garth Lagerwey, Atlanta’s president, admits that he dreams of making The Five Stripes ‘one of the bigger clubs in the world’.
That remains a pipe dream. For the time being though, statement acquisitions such as Latte Lath, Almiron and Miranchuk are certainly a big step towards becoming one of the bigger clubs in America.
Leeds still eyeing strikers amid Wilson Isidor and Josh Sargent links
Latte Lath, who joined Middlesbrough from Atlanta’s near-namesakes Atalanta back in 2023, scored 29 goals in 67 league appearances under Michael Carrick.
With Leeds seemingly looking to bring in a striker with a proven Championship record – see Archer and Armstrong – Latte Lath’s eye-catching strike rate at the Riverside understandably caught their eye.
“I think the Championship is one of the hardest leagues in the word,” adds Latte Lath, who netted 16 times on loan at St Gallen before heading to Middlesbrough.
“[The players] are hungry, they fight, they show that they run. Its really, really tough. I learned many things from there.
“I changed also how I play. Before, I was more like trying to play, don’t run in behind. But then I understood, if I ran in behind, I would get more chances to score and be more dangerous.”
Interestingly, reports emerged this week surrounding Leeds’ pursuit of a new centre-forward in the upcoming summer window.
Leeds United reportedly like Josh Sargent of Norwich City and Wilson Isidor, the Sunderland fan favourite who bamboozled Ethan Ampadu en route to scoring a fantastic solo effort at Elland Road on Monday.
Leeds are tracking Nice’s £20 million-rated forward Evann Guessand, too.
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