Time is running out for Leeds United to dip into the transfer market to bolster their squad before the January transfer window slams shut at the start of February.
The Whites have yet to make a splash this month but are not in any desperate need of reinforcements as they sit at the top of the Championship table as it stands.
A relatively comfortable 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road on Sunday ensured that they moved back to the summit, after Sheffield United had overtaken them on Saturday.
Goals from Manor Solomon, Largie Ramazani, and Ao Tanaka secured all three points for the West Yorkshire outfit, whilst Illan Meslier kept a clean sheet between the sticks.
Instead of splashing the cash on a big name from the Premier League, or on an exciting player from abroad, Leeds could do a smaller piece of business and take a gamble on a domestic option.
The Whites have had success when dipping into the Football League to pick up promising young talent in the past, with Kemar Roofe one excellent example of them doing that.
Leeds United's Kemar Roofe masterclass
In the summer of 2016, Leeds swooped to sign Kemar Roofe from Oxford United in a deal that was reported to be worth around £3m after the centre-forward had caught the eye in League Two.
The English-born attacker had produced 17 goals and ten assists in 40 appearances in League Two during the 2015/16 campaign, which convinced the Whites to spend £3m on the young dynamo.
Roofe was not an instant hit at Elland Road, though, as the former Oxford man only found the back of the net four times in 49 appearances in all competitions in his first season with the club.
The Leeds striker needed that year to settle into life in West Yorkshire and in the Championship, having played in League Two prior to that, and stepped his game up in the following two campaigns.
Appearances
36
32
Goals
11
14
Big chances missed
4
16
Big chances created
5
1
Assists
3
2
As you can see in the table above, Roofe made himself a reliable goal threat for the Whites in his second and third years at the club in the Championship, scoring 25 goals.
The Jamaica international only started 52 of those matches, almost averaging a goal every other start, and helped Leeds to make the semi-finals of the play-offs in the 2018/19 campaign under Bielsa.
Roofe’s form for Leeds attracted interest from elsewhere and Belgian giants Anderlecht swooped in to secure his services for a reported fee of up to £7m in the summer of 2019.
The West Yorkshire outfit, therefore, played a masterclass by snapping the striker up for £3m, as they got two terrific seasons out of him before cashing in for a profit of £4m.
Leeds could look to repeat the blinder they played with Roofe in the current January transfer window by raiding Oxford United for another one of their young talents.
Leeds interested in Oxford gem
Football Insider recently reported that Leeds are one of a number of teams interested in signing Tyler Goodrham from Gary Rowett’s side this month.
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The outlet claimed that the Whites, Swansea City, Sunderland, and Coventry City are all vying to secure a deal for the 21-year-old starlet to bolster their respective squads.
It states that all four teams are keeping tabs on the Oxford United star and are plotting late-window moves to snap up the attacking midfielder ahead of the second half of the season.
This means that Leeds may have to act fast if they want to secure his services this month because there is plenty of interest from other sides in the division.
Football Insider’s report did not, though, reveal how much money it would take to convince Oxford to part ways with their young starlet midway through the season.
Leeds must, now, make a move to win the race for Goodrham because the talented youngster could come in as a terrific long-term addition to Daniel Farke’s squad.
Why Leeds should sign Tyler Goodrham
Instead of signing a big name, like Buendia – for example, who can come in and be expected to make an immediate impact in the second half of the season, the Whites could sign the Oxford gem with a view to him being a key player for the German boss in the future.
At the age of 21, the Irish dynamo would come in as a young talent with plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve over the years to come.
He could spend the second half of this season as a squad player for Leeds and learn from the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto, and Largie Ramazani, among others, to improve and hone his skills, as a winger or as an attacking midfielder.
The versatile forward, who can play centrally or out wide, has produced three goals and three assists in 25 appearances in the Championship so far this term, which means that he has shown promise in the final third without being a consistent threat.
Goodrham, who was hailed as a “wonderful” player by ex-boss Des Buckingham, made his breakthrough as a regular starter in League One last season and helped his side earn promotion up to the second tier.
Starts
23
Goals
8
Big chances missed
6
Big chances created
3
Assists
4
As you can see in the table above, the young attacker contributed with 12 direct goal contributions in just 23 starts, which speaks to his potential to make a big impact in the final third when he is at his best.
Like they did with Roofe, Leeds may have to be patient with Goodrham and accept that he is unlikely to be a key star right away, given his decent, but unspectacular, return this season, but with the hope that he will follow in Roofe’s footsteps and grow into a valuable asset for the club in the future.
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