Leeds lining up swoop for “exceptional” forward

Leeds United have the chance to dip into the market to bolster their squad in the January transfer window, which officially opened for business last week.

The Whites are only one point ahead of Sheffield United and Burnley in second and third place and this means that their place in the automatic promotion spots is far from secure.

Daniel Farke’s side cannot afford to keep slipping up, if their rivals continue to pick up points, as their disappointing draw with Hull cost them two points.

The German head coach, despite watching his team slip up in the play-offs last season, knows what it takes to win a title race in the Championship, having done so twice during his time with Norwich City.

Farke lifted the second tier title in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 campaigns, the second of which he added Dimi Giannoulis as a starting-quality left-back in the January window, which suggests that he knows the value a winter addition can offer in a title race.

The Leeds head coach is, however, reportedly looking at attacking options to come in and bolster his Whites squad before the February deadline.

Leeds eyeing new centre-forward

According to the print edition of the Daily Mail (06/01/2025), as relayed by MOT Leeds News, the club are interested in a deal to sign Hoffenheim attacker Mergim Berisha.

The report claims that the 49ers and Co are lining up a Leeds swoop to bring the centre-forward to Elland Road this month to provide him with another option in the forward areas of the pitch.

It does not reveal, however, how much Hoffenheim would demand from the Whites in order to sanction a deal for the 26-year-old ace, or if they would be prepared to listen to loan offers for his services.

The striker has only started three of his 11 appearances in the Bundesliga so far this season, which shows that he has not been a frontline option for the German side, as the forward has not played regular football, and could be open to moving away from the club ahead of the second half of the season.

However, it remains to be seen how viable a deal is for Leeds in the January transfer window, as there is no mention of any potential price or Hoffenheim’s stance on the situation.

The West Yorkshire outfit being interested in signing Berisha, though, should come as bad news for one player in the current Leeds squad, as it could mean that the end of Patrick Bamford’s career at Elland Road is growing closer and closer.

Why this is bad news for Patrick Bamford

The one-time England international has already struggled for game time in the Championship so far this season, with zero starts in the division, and the arrival of another forward would push him further down the pecking order.

Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph have shared the league starts between them, as both have been preferred ahead of him – and often as the first striker substitute off the bench when the other has started – by Farke.

Berisha coming in could prevent Bamford from even making a matchday squad, as having three recognised number nines on the bench, when Leeds play with one in their usual formation, would be overkill.

The English forward has played 127 minutes across ten substitute appearances in the league this season, which shows that he has already been struggling for minutes without the introduction of a third competitor in his position.

As you can see in the table above, Bamford featured in 33 of the club’s 46 regular season matches in the Championship last term, but underachieved in front of goal with eight goals from 9.52 xG.

The wasteful striker has found himself at the bottom of the striking pile as a result of his struggles on the pitch, with Joseph and Piroe firmly ahead of him in the pecking order.

Bamford has been linked with a January exit from Elland Road and the signing of Berisha could all-but-confirm the end of his career in Yorkshire, due to the position it would leave him in within the squad.

Why Leeds should sign Mergim Berisha

It is worth saying that Leeds are not in desperate need of a new number nine to come in and start every game to fire the team to promotion, albeit Farke would surely love to find a 25-goal-a-season marksman to deliver week-in-week-out.

Piroe has scored ten goals and provided five assists in 16 league starts for Leeds, which shows that the Dutchman has offered a big threat at the top end of the pitch for the German head coach.

This means that the Whites can afford to take a gamble with any forward addition this month, and that is exactly what the signing of Berisha would be, as he has not played much over the last 18 months.

The Germany international suffered an ACL injury that kept him out from November 2023 to July 2024 and that has restricted him to just 19 Bundesliga appearances since the start of last season.

His form in the 2022/23 campaign, however, suggests that the potential is there for him to come in as an exciting addition for Leeds, if Farke can help him to get back to his best.

As you can see in the table above, Berisha, who was hailed as “exceptional” in the box by Augsburg boss Enrico Maaßen that season, provided plenty of quality in the final third, as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

The 26-year-old star also produced an eye-catching 14 goals and 13 ‘big chances’ created in 24 starts for RB Salzburg during the 2020/21 campaign, which shows that he has been a consistent performer at the top end of the pitch for multiple of his previous clubs in the past – before his long-term injury.

This is why Leeds should take the risk and gamble on Berisha coming in as a replacement for Bamford to, hopefully, get back to his best and compete with Piroe and Joseph for a starting spot.