Leeds United need a new striker and Garry Monk should consider the 35-year-old free agent.
The Birmingham Mail reported on Wednesday that Bolton Wanderers were set to sign former Premier League striker Peter Odemwingie.
The former West Bromwich Albion man is reported to be undergoing a medical with the League One club this evening, but it is not too late for Leeds United to make a late move.
Chris Wood has netted eight times in all competitions for Leeds this season and although he’s been one of United’s best players, he needs competition to help him improve.
As it stands, Marcus Antonsson – who has netted once in 525 minutes of Championship football this season – is absolutely no threat to Wood’s spot in the first XI.
Kemar Roofe, a £3 million signing from Oxford United, could well be a fine option up front but the fact of the matter is that manager Garry Monk does not appear to have any sort of inclination to give him chances through the middle.
Leeds are very much reliant on the 24-year-old’s goals this season but Wood’s hunger to score goals might just wane sooner or later as a result of the lack of competition.
If that happens, it would be detrimental for a Whites side who have scored 13 times in the Championship this season – and the New Zealand international has six of them.
Even with Wood, Leeds have been guilty of profligacy, by virtue of the fact the team has fluffed 15 clear goalscoring chances this season – only Brighton, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham have missed more than them.
At 35, Odemwingie is not a long-term answer but such an experienced striker can and would aid United’s playoff push for the remainder of the season. He is not a complete stranger to life in the Championship after netting twice in three starts for Bristol City last season.
And of course he has close to 40 Premier League goals to his name, having netted against Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea during spells with Stoke and West Brom.
He does not have youth on his side, but he does have the goalscoring nous, pedigree and experience required to keep Wood on his toes and provide a handy plan-b option for Monk.
By the time the winter transfer window opens, the damage to Leeds’ promotion chances may have already been done.
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