Leeds could be in the market for another striker in January.
Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United have taken the Championship by storm this season already, as they sit at the top of the table with 18 points from just eight matches – but cracks are beginning to show.
The Argentine manager decided to enter the 2018-19 campaign with a small squad of two players in each position, meaning he offloaded more than 20 stars this summer including Ronaldo Vieira, Jay-Roy Grot and Caleb Ekuban.
He brought only six new players to the club, but injuries are beginning to show gaps in the squad and if Leeds are to gain promotion, Bielsa needs to add depth in the January transfer window.
Options up front have caused concern among fans, with Patrick Bamford ruled out until the new year with a posterior cruciate ligament injury while Kemar Roofe also remains sidelined.
Tyler Roberts has come in and although he struggled at Millwall, he scored a brace against Preston. A short-term striker addition would be perfect, though, to add cover and quality in Leeds’ bid for promotion.
Back in 2014 as Marseille manager, French outlet Foot Mercato claimed Bielsa wanted Macedonia international Goran Pandev to leave Lazio and join the Ligue 1 outfit. Now 35, he would be an excellent short-term addition.
Currently with Italian side Genoa, Pandev played alongside Gjanni Alioski in the recent international break but has entered the final 12 months of his contract with the Serie A outfit.
A Champions League winner with Inter Milan back in 2009-10, 91-cap Pandev has also played for Napoli and Lazio. His experience and winning mentality would only boost Leeds’ promotion chances – on and off the pitch.
Signing Pandev as competition for Roofe, Bamford and indeed Roberts would give the Whites the necessary fire power to push for the Premier League, and Bielsa is clearly a fan.
Pandev (10) alongside Alioski (8).
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