Souleymane Doukara left Leeds United fans clashing over his worth – will Caleb Ekuban have the same impact at the Championship giants.
No one could question Caleb Ekuban’s work rate at Leeds United. After recovering from a three month injury lay-off, the summer signing has already won over the supporters with his relentless endeavour and commendable team-spirit.
The problem, however, is that hard work only takes you so far. The 23-year-old is still yet to score in six Championship games and, the longer this barren run goes on, supporters may soon start asking questions about whether Ekuban can strike that balance between perspiration and inspiration.
“He works for the team, put himself in front of the team to make a good pressure, to force the opponent to make mistakes,” Leeds manager Thomas Christiansen said after the recent 2-0 win away at Yorkshire rivals Barnsley. “The only thing we need is that he makes some goals.”
Its comments like these that may just contour up a few comparisons with the man Ekuban replaced at Elland Road in the summer. Like the Ghanaian frontman, Souleymane Doukara was valued more for his willingness to run those branded socks off rather than his ability to stick the ball in the back of the net.
By the time the Senegalese striker reached his final season at Leeds, he was a hugely divisive member of the squad. For all those who praised him for putting the team above the individual, he even played out on the left under Garry Monk on occasions, Doukara’s lack of end product meant other Elland Road matchgoers rarely missed a trick to land a few barbs.
So if Ekuban does not hit the goal trail soon, you wonder how long it will be before the ‘New Doukara’ label starts to fit.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
