Leeds United have been dealt a number of blows on and off the pitch in recent weeks and months that have made life difficult for Daniel Farke.
Firstly, results on the pitch have not gone their way as the Whites have failed to win any of their first three games, with a 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in the League Cup and draws with Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion in the Championship.
Meanwhile, off the field, the West Yorkshire outfit have had to contend with a number of players moving on from Elland Road to pursue top-flight opportunities.
Midfielders Archie Gray and Glen Kamara completed transfers to Tottenham Hotspur and Rennes respectively, whilst Charlie Cresswell joined Toulouse on a permanent basis.
Leeds then lost two of their most influential attacking options as Crysencio Summerville signed for West Ham United and Georginio Rutter joined Brighton & Hove Albion.
Appearances
45
43
Goals
6
19
Big chances created
22
17
Assists
15
9
As you can see in the table above, both players made a big impact in the final third in the second tier last season to propel the team into the play-offs.
Leeds must now dip into the market to bolster their attack before the end of the summer transfer window, and they are reportedly eyeing up a star from the EFL.
Leeds keen on Championship winger
According to HITC, the Whites are currently in pole position to seal a deal for Burnley forward Manuel Benson before next Friday's deadline passes.
The report claims that they are one of the teams interested in signing the Angola international, who has not featured for Scott Parker in the Championship so far this season.
It states that Sunderland and Norwich City are also in the race to secure the left-footed star's services but Leeds are ahead of them due to their willingness to snap him up on a permanent basis, whereas the other two sides would prefer an initial loan move.
Benson, who joined the Clarets for a fee of £3.4m in 2022, is said to be keen on a move to Elland Road. However, there is no mention of whether or not he would also be interested in signing for Sunderland or Norwich.
HITC also does not reveal how much Burnley are set to demand from Leeds to allow the attacker to leave on a permanent basis before the end of the window.
The Whites are leading the race for his services, though, and he could be a fantastic addition to Farke's squad, whilst being a dream winger for Mateo Joseph to play with.
Why Mateo Joseph needs help
The Spain U21 international has been given a big show of faith by the German head coach at the start of this season, as he has been the starting number nine for Leeds.
Despite Patrick Bamford and Joel Piroe both being available for selection, the 20-year-old talent led the line for the team against Portsmouth and West Brom.
All 20 of his league appearances for the West Yorkshire side came as a substitute in the 2023/24 campaign, and he scored two goals in two FA Cup starts.
This suggests that Farke believes the academy graduate now has what it takes to be his starting centre-forward as part of a promotion push in the Championship this term.
However, the young marksman is yet to prove himself on a consistent basis at first-team level and that is why it is important that Leeds ensure that they have goalscoring options across the pitch to help the striker out.
There is no doubt that Joseph, who scored 19 goals in 33 matches for the club's U21 team, has the potential to develop into a lethal scorer, based on his impressive form at youth level.
Appearances
2
Goals
0
Big chances missed
1
Big chances created
1
Assists
0
As you can see in the table above, the Spanish marksman has not enjoyed a sparkling start to his time as the main centre-forward for Leeds.
However, the young talent has created one 'big chance' for his teammates so far and has been in the right place to miss a 'big chance', which – at least – suggests that he is getting into the right positions.
There is still more development to come for Joseph and that is why Leeds must sign a winger who can carry a big goal threat to take the pressure off him.
Why Leeds should sign Manuel Benson
The 27-year-old EFL ace is not in favour with Burnley at the moment but his form for the Clarets under Vincent Kompany in the 2022/23 campaign suggests that the quality is there for him to be a fantastic signing for the Whites.
He had arrived at Turf Moor in the summer of 2022 after a return of five goals and six assists in 21 starts in the Belgian Pro League for Royal Antwerp the previous season.
The Angola international, who was once dubbed "fast" by agent Patrick de Koster, had showcased his ability to provide quality as a scorer and a creator of goals in Belgium and carried that form over to his first time in the second tier with Burnley.
Appearances
33
Starts
14
Goals
11
Key passes per game
1.1
Big chances created
4
Assists
3
As you can see in the table above, Benson was involved in 14 goals in 33 appearances for the Clarets as they won the Championship title, despite only starting 14 of those games.
He ranked within the top 6% of attacking midfielders in the division for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.25) and this suggests that the winger could create high-quality opportunities for Joseph on a regular basis if he plays regular football for Leeds.
Meanwhile, his return of 11 goals in 14 starts equated to 0.66 non-penalty goals per 90 – placing him in the top 1% of his positional peers – and this means that the attacker could be a dream addition as a big goalscoring threat.
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His ability to find the back of the net consistently could take some of the pressure off Joseph's shoulders, which is another reason why he would be a dream for the youngster.