Leeds United are closing in on Caleb Ekuban.
Leeds United are closing in on a deal for Caleb Ekuban, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
It is a deal which represents a total gamble, a punt, and it is one they cannot lose.
Ekuban signs from Italian side Chievo, but spent last season on loan in Albania with Partizani Tirana.
Indeed he has never played a game for Chievo, spending time on loan elsewhere including Sudtirol, Lumezzane, and Renate – clubs which barely register even with the most ardent of European football aficionados.
New Leeds boss Thomas Christiansen
Ekuban’s record last season at least was impressive, he scored 17 goals in 34 games for Tirana.
But there is absolutely no way of knowing whether he can translate that form he showed from Albania’s top flight into England’s second tier.
The last player with an Italian-Albanian connection to pitch up at Elland Road was the disastrous Edgar Cani, who left the club without scoring a goal.
The positive… Caleb Ekuvan can’t possibly be worse than Edgar Cani
Ekuban is a far brighter prospect and is half Ghanaian, and the beauty of the signing is that nobody will bat an eyelid if he fails.
Leeds already have a prolific striker in last season’s Championship golden boot winner Chris Wood.
They are just looking for an impact player who can chip in. Ekuban is just 23 and has potential. If he develops into a key player at the club then Leeds’ new technical director Victor Orta will look like a genius.
If Ekuban fails then Leeds can write it off as a gamble nobody expected to succeed anyway, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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