Leeds United target back-ups at striker, left-back and goalkeeper, with further moves possible | OneFootball

Leeds United have spent big and, with Nico Elvedi set to join, gross outlay will clear £80m, about £50m net. With two weeks left, three further additions are being prioritised to bolster depth. According to Leeds Live, these are back-up roles.

James Trafford is the £40m headline buy from Manchester City and has impressed early. Tarik Muharemovic, £34m from Sassuolo, has shown his qualities, including an overhead against Augsburg. Harry Wilson arrived on a free and is bedding in. Elvedi would replace Sebastiaan Bornauw, leaving four senior centre-backs plus James Justin.

Back-up striker: Lukas Nmecha scored three in pre-season, the same as Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Calvert-Lewin did it in fewer minutes and offered far more in hold-up and link play, so the drop-off without him is stark. With Joel Piroe accepting he must seek an exit, another forward is needed.

Back-up left-back: Gabriel Gudmundsson’s injury underlined the issue. Justin can fill in but is also required at right centre-half, so a left-footer comfortable on that side is sought. Jayden Lienou has impressed in pre-season but has yet to make a competitive senior debut, so experience is preferred.

Back-up goalkeeper: Lucas Perri is set for a loan to Torino, creating a vacancy. Recruiting a number two is tricky, with loans rare unless the player is very young or a veteran. A permanent makes more sense, with Trafford the firm number one and Perri expected to be sold, and late-window chaos could help.

Source: Leeds Live

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”