This season, Leeds United will be hoping that their offensive prowess would help them advance.
Although the Whites are currently leading the Championship and have been playing well, the race for the crown won’t be simple. Despite having a game left, they are only one point ahead of Sunderland, who are in fourth place.
Joel Piroe, who has ten goals and five assists across all competitions this season, has been outstanding for Daniel Farke’s team. Daniel James and Brendan Aaronson each have seven goals in all competitions, with James, a Welshman, dishing out four assists and Aaronson, a USA international, scoring two.
Amazingly, Leeds is planning a deal for another talented striker to improve the calibre in forward areas.
Leeds is looking for a new striker.
Cameron Archer, a centre forward for Southampton, is the player in question here. After leaving Aston Villa in the summer, the Saints attacker has only been with the team for a few months, but he may be moving again.
The Championship leaders are “planning to table a new bid” for Archer in the next few hours, according to an exclusive report from Football League World, following the Saints’ rejection of their first offer.
The Premier League’s basement team first turned down a loan offer, but it’s still unknown what kind of offer the Whites will make.
Leeds is “planning on making a new offer for the forward” in an effort to entice Archer to Elland Road, but it is unclear if they will seek to sign him permanently or make a move on loan.
Why Archer might be a wise addition
Archer’s Premier League season has undoubtedly been difficult. Despite giving his team the lead in a match against Arsenal, he has only scored two goals in his 21 games for Southampton. But the Saints ended up losing 3-1.
Archer’s even greater goal-scoring experience in the English second division is one item he could provide to the Leeds team. He previously played on loan for Preston North End and, more recently, Middlesbrough in the Championship.
During that period, the former England under-21 player made 40 appearances for both clubs, scoring 18 goals and dishing out seven assists. In the same game, Boro thrashed Norwich City 5-1, scoring two goals and dishing out two assists.
The agreement to bring Chris Wood to Elland Road might be repeated if the Whites sign Archer. Like Archer, he was 23 when he signed from Leicester City in July 2015 for an unknown amount.
While playing for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this season, Wood truly blossomed as a lethal striker while at Leeds.
He made 88 appearances for the Yorkshire team, scoring 44 goals and dishing out nine assists. Like Archer, he had previously undergone multiple periods throughout the EFL.
If Archer were to join Leeds, there would be more similarities between the two players than just the fact that they would be the same age. Actually, FBref can be used to make statistical comparisons between the two players, who are considered to be comparable Premier League players.
Even though Wood has 14 goals to Archer’s two this season, there are obvious similarities between the players in each Premier League encounter. For instance, Wood’s 0.4xG and 1.33 shot-creating activities are higher than the Saints star’s average projected goals total of 0.38xG and 1.12 shot-creating actions.
According to football commentator Ben Mattinson, Archer is a “ball-striking monster” who might make the difference for Leeds. He might attempt to duplicate what Wood did in that iconic white shirt all those years ago, as he has demonstrated in the Championship.
This last-minute move, whether it be a loan or a permanent agreement, might be just what the Whites need to advance in their promotion campaign.
