The German striker could’ve been the missing piece of the jigsaw for Leeds United this season.
If Leeds United are to win Premier League promotion, it looks like it’ll have to be through the playoffs. The Whites lost 2-0 at Brentford on Monday to leave themselves three points behind second-placed Sheffield United with only two games to go.
Barring a miracle at this point, Leeds won’t be winning automatic promotion back to the top flight and Patrick Bamford’s form hasn’t helped their cause.
Bamford has managed seven goals in his last 13 games, which isn’t a bad return for a Championship striker, but it’s not ideal for a team with ambitions to return to the Premier League – and it definitely isn’t ideal when you’re the only fit striker.
Marcelo Bielsa only has two centre-forwards in the form of Bamford and Kemar Roofe, both of whom have missed a lot of the season through injury, and it makes you wonder whether Leeds would be faring better had they kept Pierre-Michel Lasogga.
Lasogga, on £50,000 per week [Yorkshire Evening Post], returned to parent club Hamburg after a decent season-long loan at Elland Road last term, netting 10 goals in 21 Championship starts, but the German club’s relegation made him want to go back instead of staying in West Yorkshire [Sport Bild].
The 27-year-old was by no means a brilliant goalscorer, but he was a fox-in-the-box, an opportunistic centre-forward and one that Leeds have missed, especially in recent weeks.
It’s hypothetical to wonder whether Lasogga would have helped United into the top flight, but we do know that the Blades have four strikers and maybe, just maybe, a third for Leeds in the form of Lasogga might’ve made a difference.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
