Leeds chase ambitious loan move for £100m-rated ace

Leeds United were not in action in the Championship this weekend as they prepare to take on promotion rivals Burnley at Turf Moor in a huge clash on Monday night.

It has been a good weekend of results for the Whites, however, as Sheffield United were hammered 3-0 by Hull at Bramall Lane and Sunderland conceded in stoppage time to draw 2-2 with Plymouth Argyle.

This means that the West Yorkshire outfit remain top of the Championship table and that will still be the case after Monday’s match, unless Burnley win by at least four goals.

The Whites beat Norwich City 2-0 in their last outing in the second tier, thanks to goals from Manor Solomon and Dan James, and will be hoping for a similarly convincing scoreline against the Clarets.

Despite the terrific position that Leeds are in at the moment in the Championship, Daniel Farke could still look to utilise the January transfer window before it slams shut in just over a week.

In fact, the club have a reported interest in signing a player from a Premier League side to come in and add to their options at the top end of the pitch.

Leeds chasing ambitious Premier League deal

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a swoop to sign Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion before the end of the window.

The report, firstly, explains how Bayer Leverkusen have joined the race for Aston Villa attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia, which could blow the Whites out of the running for the Argentina international, who previously worked with Farke at Carrow Road.

It then adds that the West Yorkshire outfit have also already missed out on the chance to sign central defender Andrew Omobamidele from Nottingham Forest, as the Ireland international has completed a move to Strasbourg on loan with an option to make the deal permanent.

TEAMtalk reports that the 49ers are, now, chasing an ‘ambitious’ deal to sign Ferguson from the Premier League side on loan, in the hope of not missing out on him in the same way that they look to have with Omobamidele and Buendia.

It is an ambitious attempt by Leeds because there is plenty of interest in the striker from teams in the top flight, with West Ham reportedly keen to sign the £100m-rated forward whilst Bournemouth and Arsenal are also said to be keen on the young marksman.

If the 49ers can convince Brighton to send the forward on loan to the Championship, perhaps with the incentive that he could drop down a level and score goals on a regular basis to boost his confidence in front of goal, then they could land a second impressive Premier League loanee, alongside Manor Solomon.

Manor Solomon’s form for Leeds this season

The Tottenham Hotspur loanee joined the Whites in the summer to bolster Farke’s options on the left flank and made a slow start to life in Yorkshire, with a return of zero goals and one assist in his first eight appearances.

It was a difficult start for the Israel international and that may have been down to the fact that his last competitive appearance for Spurs was back in September 2023, which meant that he did not arrive at Elland Road with much match sharpness.

Since that less-than-impressive opening eight matches in the Championship, the 25-year-old dynamo has established himself as a star for the Whites and currently looks undroppable as part of the attacking unit for Farke.

As you can see in the table above, Solomon has offered a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Whites in the second tier, with ten direct goal contributions in 12 starts.

Two of those goal involvements came in the win over Norwich in midweek, scoring after 30 seconds and assisting Dan James in the second half, and he will be hoping to add to his tally in Monday’s clash with Burnley.

Solomon has, therefore, been a successful Premier League loanee and Leeds could land another one by bringing in Ferguson, who could also thrive alongside the Spurs man.

Why Leeds should sign Evan Ferguson

The 20-year-old striker has failed to break into the starting line-up at Brighton and his recent injury issues may have played a big role in that. He has missed the last seven games with an ankle issue and was out between April and August with an ankle injury last year.

This means that it would be a gamble for Leeds to sign the Irish marksman this month because there is no guarantee that he will be able to overcome his injury issues to become a regular starter in the second half of the season.

However, Ferguson has the potential to be a “phenomenal”, as dubbed by teammate James Milner, player when he is fit and available, which could make the gamble worth it for the Whites.

As you can see in some of the clips above, the young gem can score goals at Premier League level and has an incredible knack for being in the right place at the right time.

The Irish ace has already scored 13 goals in 59 appearances in the top-flight, despite his age, and has more than made the most of the chances that have come his way.

As you can see in the table above, Ferguson has consistently been a strong finisher for Brighton in the Premier League, outperforming his xG every season.

This could make him a particularly attractive target for Leeds given that they have scored 51 goals from 55.6 xG in the Championship, which suggests that they could benefit from having a clinical finisher in their squad.

Solomon could also thrive with a ruthless finisher ahead of him in the team. He has only recorded five assists from seven ‘big chances’ created and Ferguson could boost the winger’s assist tally by making the most of the big chances that the forward can create on a regular basis.

Leeds could, then, have two Premier League loanees with the ability to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch, propelling the side to promotion.