Leeds United’s chances of signing 19-goal striker rated with Champions League a big factor

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Records went a-tumbling at Elland Road as Leeds United secured their place back in the Premier League with a six-goal shellacking of Stoke City.

Move over Mark Viduka; Joel Piroe is now the first ever Leeds player to score four goals in a single half of football, completing a hat-trick plus one before the 41 minute mark.

Debutant Harry Gray replaced older brother Archie as the youngest member of the Gray clan to feature in a Leeds United shirt. Daniel Farke’s points haul of 94, meanwhile, exceeds the tally with which Marcelo Bielsa secured the Championship title a couple of years back.

And, amid suggestions that Leeds could move Farke on in search of a manager capable of building on the foundations he laid down, the German will forever be ingrained in the history books as the only coach ever to preside over successive 90-point seasons.

Over in Ukraine, as Leeds consider a summer move for Vladyslav Vanat, there is another record just waiting to be toppled.

Leeds United striker target Vladyslav Vanat one away from 20

Andriy Yarmolenko, the former West Ham and Borussia Dortmund winger, is just 11 goals away from becoming the highest goalscorer in the history of the Ukrainian Premier League.

So when Dynamo Kyiv were awarded a spot-kick in last Friday’s 3-0 victory over Obolon Brovar, Yarmolenko may have been forgiven for demanding the ball and slamming it purposely onto the penalty spot.

Instead, showing admirable levels of ‘side-before-self’, veteran Yarmolenko handed it over to Vanat. And as he drilled home his 19th goal of the season, a striker on the radars of Leeds, Fulham and the aforementioned Hammers was keen to thank the man who continues to lead by example at the age of 35.

Vanat, 12 years Yarmolenko’s junior, is at the very beginning of his own footballing journey. A journey which could see him follow in his experienced teammates’ footsteps, with TBR Football reporting that Leeds have included the ten-time Ukraine international on their early summer wishlist.

Vadim Shabliy, the agent who helped secure Premier League moves for Chelsea’s Mykhaylo Mudryk and Vitaliy Mykolenko, is convinced Vanat ‘can play successfully in the Premier League’.

Mikhail Spivakovsky backs up claims of Leeds’ interest, meanwhile. Albeit, the Premier League newcomers are yet to whittle down their striking options into a more manageable shortlist.

Now, another reporter closely connected to the inner-workings of Ukrainian football has given his own take on the situation.

“Vanat has high quality. He improves every year,” Igor Tsyganyk says on his YouTube channel, labelling the 23-year-old a ‘classic striker’. “It is noticeable that he is improving.

“Look at the goal he scored against Kryvbas. He received the ball, moved it onto his comfortable left foot and, without looking, shot into the far corner.

“If you remember last year or even the year before, there was a lot of unnecessary fuss [in Vanat’s game]. Now, this footballer is becoming a step higher. It is visible.”

Champions League will be a factor in Dynamo Kyiv’s thinking

Vanat claimed the Ukrainian top-flight’s Golden Boot last season and he is well on track to repeat the trick 12 months on.

Tsyganyk, meanwhile, believes that Vanat may already be outgrowing the relatively small pond that is domestic football. Dynamo Kyiv, however, must decide whether or not to cash in now or to keep Vanat in an attempt to secure Champions League first-round football for the first time since 2021/22.

Benfica and Red Bull Salzburg defeated Dynamo in the play-offs at their last two attempts.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	44	27	13	4	89	29	60	94
2	BurnleyBurnley	44	26	16	2	61	15	46	94
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	44	27	7	10	60	35	25	86
4	SunderlandSunderland	44	21	13	10	58	41	17	76

“Of course, there will be interest. Whether it will be interest from top clubs, it is difficult to say now because top clubs buy top footballers, playing at the top level,” Tsyganyk argues. “But if there is another step forward, if he starts to progress further, it is a very difficult [to keep Vanat].

“I think there is interest in Vanat but are Dynamo ready to give Vanat away for the money that can be offered for him now? Or can we still try to fight for the Champions League now and give this footballer an opportunity to grow?”