Leeds United have now confirmed that they have signed Caleb Ekuban.
Leeds have confirmed on their official website that they have signed Caleb Ekuban on a four-year deal from Serie A outfit Chievo Verona.
Based on the 23-year-old’s form last season – he scored 17 goals on loan at Albanian top flight side Partizani – it would appear that the Whites have pulled off a tremendous deal and have provided Chris Wood with the kind of support that he occasionally needed last season.
However, Leeds signing a striker off the back of a fantastic run of form in a less-established league may leave supporters feeling that they have been here before quite recently.
Marcus Antonsson was signed for £2 million last summer, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, after he scored 10 goals in his first 12 games of the season with Swedish side Kalmar. But unfortunately for the 26-year-old, his time at Elland Road has not exactly gone to plan due to various circumstances.
Antonsson started brightly, but a change of system that saw Garry Monk use just one striker, coupled with Wood’s sensational form saw the Swede sidelined for much of the campaigned and finish the season with just one league goal in 16 Championship appearances.
While he often looked to be a very good option to partner Wood with his clever movement that created pockets of space for the New Zealander, his performances as a sole striker arguably left a lot to be desired.
Leeds United’s Marcus Antonsson
Of course, Thomas Christiansen may adopt a system that sees more forwards used, so Ekuban may enjoy the number of chances that Antonsson simply did not, while Antonsson may perhaps enjoy a much improved second season perhaps.
But if the new arrival takes anything from Antonsson’s first year in England, it should surely be that finding the back of the net with regularity elsewhere must not lead to any kind of complacency – even if that was not the reason for Antonsson’s struggles.
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