Should Leeds prioritise Abel Hernandez over £10m-rated Matej Vydra?

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Leeds United are reportedly interested in both Abel Hernandez and Matej Vydra but do not have the funds to sign both men.

According to a report from the Yorkshire Evening Post at the weekend, Leeds have included both Matej Vydra and Abel Hernandez on their wishlist as they look to bolster their striker options over the summer.

The Whites endured a disappointing year this past season, and one of the reasons for their struggles was their inability to replace Chris Wood’s goals. Both Pierre-Michel Lasogga and Kemar Roofe reached double figures in terms of Championship goals, but neither managed to sustain their form over a prolonged period. It is little surprise therefore, especially with Lasogga now back at Hamburg, that signing a new striker is a priority.

The Yorkshire Evening Post suggested that Leeds are in talks over signing free agent Hernandez but are also looking at Vydra, who is likely to be available for around £10 million. However, it must be noted that the report added that the Whites were unlikely to be able to find the funds to sign both men this summer – so Victor Orta perhaps needs to consider which one of the pair should be Leeds’ priority.

And given that up front is not the only area that Leeds must strengthen this summer if they hope to challenge for promotion next season, the choice of which striker to pursue more seriously should arguably be obvious.

Vydra finished as the Championship’s top goalscorer this past year, but his record is mixed. He scored just eight league goals across the previous two campaigns.

Hernandez meanwhile, has an extremely underwhelming record in the Premier League, having scored eight goals in 50 top flight games for Hull. However, his strike-rate in the second tier is frightening, with 28 goals in 49 games.

There is an element of risk attached to pursuing either player, but with Hernandez available on a free and Vydra costing £10 million, the gamble is much greater if Leeds bring the latter to Elland Road.

And with Leeds needing to address several issues all over the pitch, that £10 million could arguably be better off being put towards signing a new goalkeeper, left-back and centre-back in particular.

Ending up with Vydra would not be a disappointment by any means, but assuming that Leeds reportedly being unable to sign both means that the purse strings are not loosened entirely, it appears that targeting Hernandez and saving as much as possible for the other positions in the squad seems to make significantly more sense.