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Leeds United will hope 2024 is the year the Whites return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, triumphantly re-entering the top flight under the expert guidance of Daniel Farke after a disastrous relegation had killed the feel-good mood around Elland Road.
Farke could well need to add positive reinforcements to his squad this transfer window to aid this promotion push, adding in fresh blood to complement the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Daniel James already firing on all cylinders in West Yorkshire.
Farke could even boldly go back in for this failed summer buy this month, with former Leeds target Nadiem Amiri itching for a move away from Bayer Leverkusen now.
Leeds transfer latest – Amiri pursuit
Leeds felt sick to their stomach when Amiri refused to join the Whites late on in the summer transfer window, the deal all but done before the German attacking midfielder spectacularly pulled the plug last second.
The Championship promotion hopefuls could well go back in for the Leverkusen man this month despite this humiliating rejection however, TEAMtalk reporting in November that a deal could be back on with Amiri pushing for a move away from his current Bundesliga club after limited game time this season.
Leeds wouldn’t be alone in their pursuit however, with German football website BILD further adding fuel to the fire by stating that French clubs Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyon are also interested in signing the unsettled midfielder in an article last month.
The Whites will hope that potentially signing Amiri – who they could land at a bargain £5m price-tag – can supercharge Georginio Rutter’s goal numbers, the Frenchman taking a back-seat with his assist output for the new 5 foot 11 arrival to shine instead.
Amiri’s style of play
Frozen out of Xabi Alonso’s plans this season – the ex-Liverpool player turned successful Leverkusen boss starting the 27-year-old in zero games this season in the league – Farke could well see something in Amiri that he can reignite on his arrival to Elland Road.
In his prime for the current top-flight leaders in Germany, Amiri was a dangerous attacking midfield prospect to contain – notching up 15 assists across his first two seasons at the BayArena, before experiencing a dip in form.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig even described the nimble midfielder as “superb” when Amiri starred for the German U21s back in 2019, further praising the now 27-year-old’s “versatility” with Amiri capable of playing as a more traditional central midfielder too if needed.
Skilful and silky at his best for the German giants, the fringe figure of Amiri now did manage to pick up an assist in DFB-Pokal action recently when given a rare start – helping Leverkusen convincingly beat SV Sandhausen 5-2 at the start of November.
Amiri could well give Joel Piroe healthy competition if the 27-year-old did finally put pen to paper on a Championship move, the former Swansea star fading in and out of games in the last few weeks with zero successful dribble attempts managed away at West Brom to close out 2023 for Leeds.
Whereas, his slick counterpart excels in carrying the ball forward with intricate deftness – Amiri completing 2.78 progressive carries per 90 minutes over the last year according to FBRef, with 1.71 successful take-ons another stellar statistic sticking out.
Amiri could well be the creative maverick Leeds need in that attacking midfield spot to begin catching teams out more regularly, instead of settling for goal-shy performances seen in back-to-back 1-0 defeats on the road before a big win against Birmingham City was secured.
Rutter could also explode into life in front of goal and begin to add more strikes to his slim season tally of four goals as a direct consequence of this move, knowing he doesn’t have to do the heavy lifting anymore and constantly be a focal point to create openings for other teammates.
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