Assessing Leeds’ striker situation ahead of Premier League return

National World - LocalTV

Daniel Wales and Lee Sobot discuss Leeds’ goal scoring department.

Transcript

00:00Now, with Leeds United confirmed in the Premier League for next season,

00:05the question of transfers is starting to raise its head at Elland Rhodes.

00:11Star striker this season, Joel Perrault, scored a great number of goals for the Whites in the Championship,

00:17but there are concerns about how prolific he will be in the Premier League next season,

00:21having never played in England's top league.

00:24Transfer rumours have already started to circulate around Leeds United,

00:27with Beto of Everton being linked to Daniel Farker's side.

00:33I've spoken to Lee Sobot of the Yorkshire Evening Post to gauge his thoughts on Perrault

00:37and whether Beto could also come in to help.

00:42Well, I mean, the highest standard, the better, really.

00:44I mean, I think the thing is with Beto, the thing is he is a Premier League player, though,

00:48who has, again, you know, a bit like Solomon, not to compare him directly as players,

00:52but he has played at that level and has scored goals already.

00:54Obviously, yeah, you think you're right, a few Leeds fans will be a bit underwhelmed

00:57with the goals record he's got this season, but, I mean, you know,

01:00that's for an Everton side that, you know, until Moyes came in, you know,

01:03weren't really doing the right lot, to be honest, and so they've got a bit better of late

01:06and they're not a prolific side anyway.

01:08I can see, you know, any Leeds fans looking at that and thinking,

01:11well, you know, we need to do a bit better than that.

01:12I can understand, you know, to a degree where they're coming from

01:15because, obviously, they've just gone up and, you know,

01:17they want the team to sign, you know, top-class players and the best players they can,

01:21but equally, like with someone like Beto, he has scored at Premier League level already

01:25and he has got plenty of Premier League experience under his belt

01:27and will probably be even better another season on.

01:30And also, you know, this has been forever a side that, you know,

01:33up until recently, you know, haven't been particularly great, to say the least,

01:36and obviously a side that don't score an awful lot of goals.

01:39And, you know, he has got 10 there overall in his career, 57 appearances,

01:43and so it's not to be sniffed at what he's done, really,

01:45and someone like that could be very, very useful.

01:47But, I mean, he's not going to be the only person that Leeds are looking at.

01:49Obviously, they'll look at an absolute, you know, whole host of options.

01:53So, I think everything, again, will come down to sort of valuation,

01:56price, availability, everything like that.

01:58But I think what is not in doubt, 100%,

02:00is that they all definitely, definitely have to, you know,

02:02strengthen the ranks up front.

02:04I mean, that was towards the end of the season,

02:07when it was looking like Leeds were going to go up,

02:09I think a lot of people come up to me saying,

02:10what are we going to do in the Premier League?

02:11Who are we going to get? You know, what are we going to do?

02:13What positions do we need?

02:14And I always sort of felt, and this is nothing against Peru whatsoever,

02:16because he might end up, he might continue his progress in the Premier League.

02:20But, you know, goals win games, obviously,

02:22and I just sort of felt like they're going to need to sort of like strengthen

02:24the ranks up front, really, and potentially even get one,

02:27maybe two strikers in, or maybe one who can play as a number 10,

02:30who can also play up front, obviously, with the question marks about Aronson,

02:32who, again, also just deserves another crack at it.

02:35But, you know, you need strength in depth and you need quality.

02:38And Peru will be a really interesting one,

02:40because you can almost compare it a little bit to Farker, I suppose,

02:44in sort of saying like, you know, well, can he do it in the Premier League?

02:46But obviously, you know, I suppose you could say with Daniel Farker,

02:49well, he's had two cracks at the Premier League.

02:51Obviously, the caveat with that being that Norwich didn't particularly back him

02:54as well as, as much as, you know, they could have done as much as Leeds will.

02:58Peru is complete unknown quantity,

03:00because he's literally not played one minute of Premier League football.

03:02And he's scored shed loads of goals in the championship.

03:06I think it's 73 goals in one, seven, nine games.

03:08So, you know, it's nearly not the million miles off the old classic one in two games,

03:12which is obviously always seen as, you know, a terrific achievement.

03:15So for him, having to go at the Premier League is definitely,

03:18definitely the next, you know, aim and the next natural step.

03:21And he's not old, Peru, either.

03:23He's still only 25.

03:24So he could well end up doing it,

03:26even though people are sort of like maybe like having natural doubts purely

03:29because they might see him as a championship striker.

03:31But I think I said on one of these a few weeks ago,

03:34people probably wouldn't have seen Chris Wood doing what he's doing,

03:36you know, in the Premier League at an earlier age.

03:38So it can happen.

03:40And I think you're right.

03:40You definitely need to keep hold of him, you know, have him in your squad.

03:44And then, you know, if he does hit the ground running

03:46and start scoring goals in front of the Premier League as well,

03:48then, you know, happy days.

03:49But equally, you know, you've got to have other options in there as well

03:52and probably have somebody else going in there who appeals as a,

03:55you know, a sort of natural first choice,

03:58either instead of or to compete with Peru.

04:00They're going to have to look up front.

04:01Yeah, there's no doubt about that.

04:02And just all over, I mean, obviously,

04:04the goalkeeping one's going to be absolutely key.

04:06I mean, I don't know what will happen with Melier.

04:08Karl Darlow's been very, very impressive

04:09since he came in at the end of the season.

04:11But are they going to go into the season with him as number one?

04:13I know he'd back himself to do that,

04:15but Leeds have been linked to a whole host of keepers already.

04:18And just throughout the side, as I say,

04:20number 10 position looks like an obvious one.

04:22Wingers, this is OK-ish, I'd suggest.

04:24A lot will depend on what happens with Solomon,

04:27if they can get Solomon, obviously.

04:29But obviously, Dan James is Player of the Year.

04:31You've got Willie Nonto in there as well.

04:33You've got youngsters coming through as well,

04:34like Harry Gray, obviously.

04:35Obviously, you know,

04:36it'd be very much a gradual process with him.

04:39Defensively, looks OK when everybody's fit.

04:41But, you know, it's probably just down the whole spine

04:43of the side, just really strengthening.

04:44And then...

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