Leeds United outcast Marcus Antonsson has been offered the opportunity to return to Sweden but should he call it a day at Elland Road?
Usually, when a new manager enters a club, the phrase ‘fresh start’ or ‘clean slate’ is never too far away.
And Leeds United outcast Marcus Antonsson may have been hoping that new manager Thomas Christiansen would have given him the chance to prove himself after he fell quickly out of favour under predecessor Garry Monk.
However, the early transfer activity undertaken since the appointment of former APOEL coach Christiansen, and the arrival of Victor Orta as technical director, have only cast further doubt on Antonsson’s future at Elland Road.
Antonsson’s last league start came in October
Chris Wood, Championship top scorer in 2016/17, will surely remain the club’s first-choice centre-forward next season. However, he will be backed up by Caleb Ekuban, a 23-year-old striker signed from Chievo after he netted 17 league goals on loan at Albanian side Partizani last season.
Consequently, while Antonsson only had Wood and Souleymane Doukara ahead of him in the pecking order last season, it appears that he now faces an even more daunting task to force his way into the starting XI, or the match day squad at the very least.
Therefore, you could forgive the Swedish striker, who started only six Championship games last season, if he sees his future lying away from Elland Road.
Fotboll Direkt claims that five clubs in the Swedish top flight, where Antonsson scored for fun with Kalmar, are offering him the chance to return home this summer, though the report adds that the 26-year-old will only make his decision when he discovers his role in Christiansen’s plans.
Based upon Leeds’ transfer activity this summer, it seems a safe bet that Antonsson may be better served looking for opportunities elsewhere.
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