Leeds United’s recruitment team are running out of time to do some business before the winter window officially slams shut on Monday night.
The Whites are yet to make a single signing in the January transfer window but they have little over 24 hours left to bolster their squad ahead of the second half of the season.
Southampton centre-forward Cameron Archer is one player who has been linked with a late move to Elland Road on loan from the Premier League side.
However, a new number nine is not the only position on the agenda for the West Yorkshire outfit, as they are reportedly keen on another attacking midfielder.
Leeds eyeing late deal for midfield maestro
According to Russian journalist Ivan Karpov, on his Telegram channel, Leeds United are one of the teams interested in signing Krasnodar attacking midfielder Eduard Spertsyan.
The report claims the Whites and fellow Championship promotion hopefuls Sunderland are eyeing up the Armenia international in a last-gasp move before the deadline.
It states that Daniel Farke worked with the 24-year-old magician during his short spell in charge of Krasnodar earlier in his career and would like a reunion with the playmaker this season.
Karpov’s report does not, however, reveal how much money it would take for the Russian side to consider cashing in on their star midfielder in the next day or so.
Why Leeds should sign Eduard Spertsyan
The Whites should, now, push to win the race for the Armenian wizard before the deadline passes because he could come in as a dream signing for Joel Piroe.
Farke’s current centre-forward took his tally to 12 goals for the season, from an xG of 8.36, in the Championship with a brace against Cardiff on Saturday.
The Dutch centre-forward has proven his ability to consistently find the back of the net at an efficient rate, given the quality of chances created for him.
In Spertsyan, Leeds could sign an attacking midfielder with the quality to create even more opportunities for the former Swansea man to score goals.
After Ajax once failed to sign the Armenia international, the Dutch side’s technical director Sven Mislinta compared him to Kevin De Bruyne. He said: “It wasn’t about his abilities but that he plays in Russia. He could’ve been at Ajax similar to what Kevin De Bruyne is at Man City. A special player, you can’t find someone like him for this amount of money.”
That was incredibly high praise, given that the Belgian star has 104 goals and 173 assists for Man City, but his form in recent seasons for Krasnodar explains the comparison.
|
Eduard Spertsyan (Russian Premier League) |
22/23 |
23/24 |
24/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
28 |
29 |
18 |
|
Goals |
10 |
11 |
6 |
|
Key passes per game |
2.2 |
1.9 |
2.6 |
|
Big chances created |
8 |
8 |
3 |
|
Assists |
11 |
3 |
3 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|||
As you can see in the table above, Spertsyan may not be on de Bruyne’s sensational level but he is an attacking midfielder who can score goals and create chances on a regular basis in a number ten position.
Meanwhile, no current Leeds player has managed more than 1.7 key passes per game in the Championship this season, which suggests that Spertsyan, who has averaged 2.6 key passes per match this season, could come in as Farke’s best creator.
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That would, therefore, make him a dream for Piroe in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign, as they could form a terrific partnership in the final third.