Leeds United’s strikers are struggling in the Championship while ex-Elland Road favourite Chris Wood thrives at Burnley.
It almost seems a little too obvious to say that Leeds United are missing Chris Wood.
After all, the New Zealand striker was the Championship’s top scorer last season with 27 goals, and almost fired Leeds into the play-offs for the first time in a decade. But, since his summer move to Burnley for £15 million, the Whites have not found anyone capable of stepping up and filling his boots.
Four new strikers arrived at Elland Road in the summer, Pierre-Michel Lasogga, Caleb Ekuban, Jay-Roy Grot and Pawel Cibicki, but they have only managed 12 league goals between them.
Ten of those have been scored by Hamburg loanee Lasogga, who has still been criticised by some supporters for a perceived lack of aggression or movement in the final third.
Ekuban appears to be missing sitters on a game-by-game basis, Grot has managed just one goal in 17 substitute appearances while Cibicki has not played a single second since Paul Heckingbottom took over as manager in February.
And, just to rub salt into the wounds, the statistics could hardly paint a different picture of former Elland Road favourite Wood.
69 per cent of his shots in the Premier League for Burnley have hit the target – making him the most efficient striker anywhere in England’s top flight. His record is marginally better than Javier Hernandez and Gabriel Jesus, with his reliability in the final third coming in very handy for a Burnley side who don’t create an avalanche of chances.
Wood has eight goals in 14 starts for The Clarets.
Ekuban and co could learn a thing or two.
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